Fundamentals of Cultivating Empathy in the Workplace
Our workplaces are experiencing one of the most challenging periods in recent history. The pandemic aftermath, social and political tensions, economic uncertainties, and growing mental health issues have created an environment where both employees and leaders are struggling. In this difficult moment, leaders are actively seeking solutions to address these hardships, and this is where empathetic leadership comes in.
At bhasin consulting inc., here is how we define empathy:
Empathy is the act of being aware of, understanding, and experiencing another person’s feelings and thoughts. It’s rooted in our ability to “step into the shoes” of another person, so that we can deeply connect to their feelings, perspectives, and experiences, and use this experience to guide our actions.
Empathy is an essential leadership skill, especially in this difficult moment. It is a skill that can radically address and improve workplace dynamics, as we discuss below. Our key takeaway is this: more than ever, leaders must cultivate empathy in the workplace to foster an environment of psychological safety, trust, engagement, and belonging. To learn more, check out bci’s tip sheet on empathy in the workplace here.
Why This Difficult Leadership Moment Calls for Empathy
Employees are struggling in the workplace right now. We know that they are experiencing unprecedented stress levels, mental health struggles, and burnout. And on top of this, many employees are feeling apathetic about their jobs—a Gallup Workplace study found that 62% of global employees surveyed reported that they are not engaged (unattached to their jobs and company) and 15% shared that they are actively disengaged.
In a nutshell, our teams and workplaces are strained at unprecedented levels that, in our view, traditional ways of leading will not be able to address. We need a new paradigm for leadership—one that is rooted in the fundamental principle that we must prioritize our team members’ needs first and foremost. And to make this happen, we, as leaders, must alter how we behave. This is what Shift Leadership is all about, and empathetic leadership is one of its core skill areas.
As research tells us, empathetic leadership is key to navigating workplace challenges because it enables leaders to understand and connect with their team members on a deeper level. Leaders who cultivate empathy support the overall well-being of their teams by cultivating belonging, improving communication, fostering trust, and developing psychological safety. Simply put, they create stronger relationships.
Here are four insights to help leaders and organizations build a culture of empathy in the workplace:
1. Treat Empathy as an Active Practice
Empathy is an active skill that must be cultivated on a consistent basis. Like any other leadership skill, empathy requires consistent application, practice, and refinement. To learn more about this, watch Komal talk about how empathy is a practice here. For example, as part of practicing empathy, a leader will need to be vulnerable in sharing their own feelings and experiences. This will mean that the leader will want to be mindful about being actively authentic in what they say and how they say it. To make this happen, the leader might say during a team meeting, “Thanks for sharing that you’ve been feeling really stressed lately because of this project. I’m so sorry to hear this. And I understand, because I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed too. Let’s talk more about this.”
Leaders must be intentional about building their empathetic leadership skills across all their individual and group interactions with their teams.
2. “Hold Space” for Team Members
Empathy does not require leaders to solve every problem or fix every situation that a team member brings forward. Instead, empathetic leadership is about “holding space” for others, which happens by way of the following key behaviors:
- Acknowledging a team member’s feelings using words and facial expressions
- Signaling that the leader understands what is being shared using verbal and non-verbal communication
- Using language like, “I see you,” “I hear you,” “I understand,” and “How can I support you during this hard time?”
- Regulating their own emotions in order to not co-opt the conversation and interrupt biases
- Regularly checking in to see how a team member is doing
3. Cultivate Self-Awareness as a Leader
Empathy requires us to draw from our own lived experiences to understand and relate to the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others. As Dr. Komal Bhasin of bci explains, empathy is “the practice of using one’s own lived experience as a resource for understanding.” Leaders must first understand their own emotional landscape before they can truly empathize with team members. And given this, self-awareness is fundamental for practicing empathy because it enables leaders to recognize their biases, emotional triggers, and areas for growth. To learn more about this, watch Komal talk about self-regulation when practicing empathy here.
One way to focus on developing self-awareness is by recognizing your own personal biases. Ask yourself: does my decision-making favor certain individuals or groups over others? These types of reflection practices can significantly help us to genuinely empathize with others.
4. Provide Empathetic Leadership Training
For many people, being empathetic is not inherent—it is a practice and skill that needs to be developed with time. And this is why it is important that organizations invest in training to equip employees and leaders with tools for being more empathetic. Building on what we have shared above, empathetic leadership training should offer theoretical guidance on what empathy in the workplace looks like. But more importantly, it must include practical techniques to grow skills, including focusing on:
- The importance of active listening and what this looks like
- Real life examples to make the learning more practical
- Experiential learning so that participants can practice empathy skills during the training to deepen understanding of others’ perspectives
- Practices and strategies for mindfulness and self-awareness, given their importance in cultivating empathy
Given what we have shared here, you will understand why we are stressing that cultivating empathy in the workplace is not just a nice-to-have—it is fundamental for creating workplaces that are rooted in belonging, empowerment, psychological safety, and trust. Essentially, empathetic leadership creates workplace environments where everyone can feel seen, heard, valued, and supported.
Do our words resonate with you? We would love to hear from you! Please send us a message through our Contact Us page, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
Reach out to the bci team here to learn more about our range of cutting-edge programming on Empathetic Leadership and other talent management/leadership programming:
- Blogs:
- Your Core Wisdom Will Make You a More Empathetic Leader and Team Member
- 4 Leadership Must Dos for Cultivating Mental Health & Wellness
- As Leaders, We Choose How We Treat People
- 5 Steps for Creating Belonging in the Workplace
- Shift Leadership – A New Paradigm for Unlocking Engagement, Belonging, Empathy, and Psychological Safety in Workplaces
- Tip Sheets:
- Playlist:
