How to Encourage Empathy in the Workplace

🌟 Leading with Empathy: Supporting Your Team Through Life's Challenges 🌟 I had some amazing conversations this past week and wanted to share my thoughts. As managers, we're not just responsible for driving business results; we're also entrusted with the well-being of our team members (contractors and employees). Life's challenges, whether it be divorce, loss, or personal struggles, can deeply impact an individual's professional life. Here are four ways we can foster a supportive environment for our team during difficult times: 1️⃣ Create a Culture of Compassion: Lead by example by demonstrating empathy and understanding. Encourage open communication and assure your team that it's okay to discuss personal struggles without fear of judgment. By fostering a culture of compassion, you cultivate a supportive work environment where individuals feel valued and understood. 2️⃣ Clarify Roles and Responsibilities: Provide clarity on job expectations and responsibilities, ensuring that your team members understand what is expected of them. By making their roles crystal clear, you alleviate unnecessary stress and uncertainty, allowing them to focus on navigating through life's challenges without added work-related worries. 3️⃣ Flexible Work Arrangements: Recognize that employees may need flexibility to attend to personal matters during challenging times. Offer flexible work arrangements such as remote work options, flexible hours, or additional time off to accommodate their needs. By prioritizing work-life balance, you demonstrate that you value your team's well-being beyond their contributions to the business. 4️⃣ Provide Resources and Support: Ensure that your team members are aware of the resources available to them, both within the company and externally. This may include Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), counseling services, or support groups. Encourage individuals to seek the help they need and reassure them that it's a sign of strength, not weakness, to ask for support. By proactively supporting your team through life's challenges, you not only foster loyalty and trust but also enhance overall morale and productivity. Let's lead with empathy and compassion, creating a workplace where every team member feels supported and valued. Tag a fellow manager who prioritizes employee well-being, and let's inspire others to lead with empathy! 🌟 #LeadingWithEmpathy #SupportiveWorkplace #TeamWellBeing Personal Reflection: I was homeless for a month when I was starting Syssero® and while I didn't have a manager, I had friends (Ryan Massie, Cassandra (Cazzi) Coleman, Julie Christenson and many more) and family who supported me along the way. You never know what others are going through, they don't have to tell you, but you can be the empathic leader that gives them clarity through the chaos.

In our industry, there is such a push for technical training that I think we have lost sight of what supporting our teams really consists of. I think that we need to start training our people differently. In school we are taught chemistry, biology, and math but not how to deal with anxiety or stress. Yes, how to work flow a Submittal or RFI is absolutely important, but if we don’t train our teams about emotional regulation or how to manage the loads of stress that are intertwined in the professional world, we are setting them up for failure. I know, I know…we aren’t therapists and can’t teach that “kind of stuff to our people”. I challenge that corporate norm as there is something you can do about it that doesn’t involve anyone but you! You can change this story with the folks that you collaborate with and it starts with the environment and culture we build on our teams. Empathy is an emotional and thinking muscle that becomes stronger with use. 1️⃣Listen actively 👂🏽 With an open mind, open eyes and open ears. Do not interrupt. Withold judgement. 2️⃣Be fully present ✋🏽 Pay attention to body language, tone of voice and hidden emotions. Be aware of your own body language as well. 3️⃣Take interest 👀 Have genuine curiosity about other people. Ask questions with an intention to help or build relationship. 4️⃣Encourage and support the team 👏🏽 As a leader take time to listen, protect and empower the quiet ones. Recognize individual contribution. In life there are only a few guarantees, but I can guarantee you that if you start to practice the above you will see your people flourish. Walls will start to come down and that is where the magic happens. We move from disconnected siloes to integrated collaborators. #emotionalregulation #softskills #traininganddevelopment #anxietymanagement #stressmanagement

A personal share... My mother had Covid in 2020, and since that time, has been experiencing cognitive decline, along with a host of other medical, financial and wellness challenges. The past 3 and half weeks have been incredibly stressful, with many tears. And, I am an only child. What it reminds me of, and what I want to share, is the importance of empathy, both in personal and professional settings. Navigating these complexities has reinforced my belief in the power of creating space for understanding, listening, and offering support in all aspects of life. A special thank you to the heroes and sheroes in my life over the last few weeks that have truly lifted me... In the spirit of this, I want to share three tips to help foster empathy in the workplace, even during remote calls: 🙊 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Take the time to truly listen to your colleagues, not just to their words - to the 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 behind them. On remote calls, this means being present, minimizing distractions, and practicing empathy through attentive listening. 👀 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐞𝐬: Pay attention to non-verbal cues such as tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions. These subtle signals can often reveal 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. Being attuned to these cues demonstrates empathy and allows for a deeper understanding of your colleagues' experiences. ✅ 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐈𝐧𝐬: Make a conscious effort to check in with each other on a regular basis, even 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨. In a remote work environment, it's easy for individuals to feel isolated or disconnected. By reaching out proactively, you show that you care about their well-being and create opportunities for open communication. By incorporating these practices into our daily interactions, we can create a workplace culture that values empathy, understanding, and support for the diverse experiences of our colleagues. Remember, behind every screen and every meeting agenda, there are people with their own stories and struggles. My ask today? Let's make space for empathy in all that we do. I am sharing in the comments my favorite video describing the difference between sympathy and empathy - it's perfect. Brené Brown #empathy #culture #remotework #connection 🤝 Bruce Montgomery Anca Castillo Cary Lopez, PhD

I love to make up words that fill in the gaps in the English language. Even though our dictionary has more than 200,000 words, it’s not enough. I love my wife. I love hot dogs. We need more words for love. So I’m working on my own dictionary. Sometimes I modify an existing word or couple two existing words to create a third meaning. For example: Ø Prosilience: Prospective resilience, developing mental toughness before being called upon to need it. Ø Focish: Focusing on what’s important and finishing what you start. Ø Nedlog Rule: The Golden Rule in reverse – anything you would be willing to do for someone else if they asked you, be willing to ask for that same help if you need it. Ø ExGen: Being extravagantly generous in small ways. Today I’m working on a new word: Teampathy. We’ve all heard and used the word teamwork – to work together as a team. Teampathy means fostering empathy within the team. It is an essential complement to team work. According to Gallup, one of the best predictors of employee engagement is having good friends at work. One of the vital catalysts of friendship is mutual empathy. Working together (teamwork) will help the organization hit targets and achieve goals, but it will not in itself foster meaningful friendships. That requires Teampathy. Especially today when burnout, moral distress, and the emotional drain of social and political polarization can be so wearing, leaders need to consciously promote a spirit of mutual empathy. Here are three practical suggestions for fostering Teampathy. Suggestion #1: Increase cultural intolerance for toxic emotional negativity. Bullying, rumor-mongering, and belittling criticism are dispiriting and demoralizing and contribute to a culture of distrust and “not my job” apathy. Download the free DIY Implementation Guide at www.PicklePledge.com to share The Pickle Pledge and the Pickle Challenge for Charity with your team. This is the most powerful and effective tool I have for raising awareness of and intolerance for chronic complaining, pessimism, and learned helplessness. Suggestion #2: Encourage peer-to-peer recognition, gratitude, and encouragement. The DAISY Foundation, Wambi, and NDORSE are platforms that make it easy for people to appreciate their colleagues. Suggestion #3: Make better use of daily team huddles (or start doing them if you are not already). Encourage people to share personal stories, publicly recognize a coworker, or ask for support. Do something fun. Get people to laugh (you don’t need to be a comedian to tap into the power of laughter – google Laughter Yoga). Working on Teampathy might do more for teamwork in your organization than working on teamwork will do.