Showing empathy at work is an important part of creating a positive, inclusive and healthy workplace. It can improve culture and help to develop a happier, more productive team.
Understanding others and treating them with empathy and compassion builds stronger, more effective relationships between co-workers, clients and customers and is beneficial for teams and organisations.
In this article we’re going to explore types of empathy, the benefits and how to further develop it in your team or workplace.
What is empathy?
Empathy refers to the ability to recognise, understand and share others’ emotions and experiences.
When you approach situations with empathy, it means that you are able to imagine yourself in someone else’s place. You can understand another person’s circumstances, even if they differ from your own.
Acting and communicating with empathy allows you to develop valuable insight into someone else’s experiences and viewpoint. You may use this insight to support a team member through challenges.
Empathy is a key component of emotional intelligence and improves leadership and interpersonal relationships, making it a valuable asset in the workplace.
Types of empathy
Empathy develops through three main stages: Cognitive, emotional and compassionate.
Cognitive empathy
Expressing cognitive empathy means you are able to perceive and understand how another person is feeling. This type of empathy allows you to gauge someone’s mood or emotions based on the things they say and the behaviours they display.
Cognitive empathy isn’t always something you need to act on. This stage of empathy is simply focused on observation and may not progress to any further engagement.
It is possible to notice and understand how someone is feeling without necessarily taking any action to change or influence this.
Emotional empathy
Progressing to emotional empathy means you can share another person’s emotions, understanding how they are feeling and how their experiences affect them.
This stage of empathy involves you becoming emotionally invested in another person’s situation. You may feel personally affected by their circumstances or experiences, even though these things may not impact you directly.
When practising emotional empathy, you might relate a person’s perspectives or problems to your own life or simply feel and share their grief or pain.
When you have emotional empathy with a co-worker, it’s important to have clear boundaries and keep an eye on your own wellbeing so you can effectively manage the feelings that accompany emotional empathy.
Compassionate empathy
Compassionate empathy is the most active stage of empathy, involving practical measures to reduce or resolve another person’s pain or improve their emotional state.
Practising compassionate empathy means you do more than simply notice or share someone’s feelings. Through developing a deeper understanding, you can offer practical support or guidance to help that person overcome their challenges.
When you demonstrate compassionate empathy, you go beyond simply acknowledging someone’s hurt or challenges. Instead, helping them resolve difficulties, either on their own or with your ongoing support.
The benefits of empathy in the workplace
There are many important benefits to creating an environment that values and encourages empathy in teams.
With empathy in teams and between co-workers, you can build a more inclusive and supportive organisational culture and a happy, psychologically safe work environment.
Empathy can also play a valuable role in improving communication, leadership, teamwork and productivity.
Communication and interpersonal relationships
Being able to recognise and understand the emotions and experiences of others is a powerful interpersonal skill. Empathy is considered part of emotional intelligence.
Empathy in teams fosters clear, kind and open communication; encouraging people to identify and help each other solve problems and build trust.
Practising empathy can improve interpersonal relationships and have a positive impact on how we communicate within teams and with customers and clients.
Clear, open lines of communication make for happier, more efficient work environments where problems can be resolved quickly and effectively.
Leadership and teamwork skills
Empathy has a positive impact on leadership and teamwork, supporting effective communication, guidance and collaboration.
When leaders have an empathetic mindset, they are often better equipped to accurately identify the needs and interests of team members, meaning that they can provide a more responsive work environment.
Empathetic behaviour is also helpful in facilitating effective teamwork, helping staff members share emotions and experiences that influence their professional roles. This may improve team cohesion, especially in goal-setting situations.
By using empathy, leaders can be more effective and work with others to strive towards and achieve mutual goals.
Workplace productivity and efficiency
A workplace that promotes and encourages empathy is likely to be more productive and efficient.
Acting with empathy means staff can identify and resolve problems quickly and efficiently, moving on to new tasks with newly learned knowledge and skills.
Team members who practise empathy will naturally support one another to improve each others’ professional ability and achieve new things at work, which will also improve work quality and productivity.
Empathetic behaviour enables smooth-running work processes and saves time, stress and inconvenience by creating a happy, healthy team culture.
Tips on how to develop empathy at work
Developing empathy is important in both your professional and personal life. Empathy is a learned skill, which means you can enhance it with practice and commitment.
Here are a few techniques to help you practise empathy in the workplace.
Listen attentively and notice details
The first step to developing empathy is improving your listening skills. By listening carefully and noticing body language and other behaviours you identify changes in another person’s mood.
Start by focusing on what a person is saying. Listen for key words and phrases that might indicate how they are thinking or feeling. Take note of their tone of voice, recognising how this may change depending on mood.
Next, look for non-auditory signs of emotion. Is the person you’re speaking with smiling or laughing? Are they displaying closed body language, perhaps with their arms crossed?
With this information in mind, you can develop a sense of how someone is feeling or how they are responding to a challenge or situation, helping you practise cognitive empathy.
To create true empathetic connection, you need to listen empathetically. This means you listen to a person with a tone of understanding and acceptance. Avoid asking too many direct questions and let the person speaking guide the conversation.
Consider how others are feeling
To practise empathy effectively, you need to be able to look beyond your own experiences to understand the emotions and perspectives of those around you. Considering how others are feeling is a good place to start.
When communicating with another person, aim to keep an open mind, not focusing too much on your own perspectives or assumptions. Instead, consider what the person is telling you and how they may be affected by a situation.
Considering others’ feelings can help you progress to emotional empathy, becoming emotionally invested in someone else’s experiences. You might reflect on your own life and recognise how another person’s situation may be similar to something you’ve experienced in the past.
If you are having trouble understanding someone else’s point of view, it’s okay to ask questions. Try to ensure your tone remains open and non-judgemental. Ask the person what their concerns are and how they think they might resolve the issue at hand.
Act to support or help another person
There are many ways to act on empathy and support your co-workers. Your responses are likely to vary depending on the situation and the person you’re helping.
Practising empathy should focus on the needs of the person you want to support. It’s important to consider which actions will be most helpful or practical for them and their situation.
Acting on empathy in the workplace might involve offering practical support. You might help a team member learn a new skill or system or help them with tasks they are finding overwhelming.
If you’re unsure how best to help someone, you can ask them what kind of support they would appreciate. A colleague might need practical support or simply a sympathetic ear.
Know when to practise empathy
Empathy isn’t just for crises and problems. You can show empathy every day, even when things are going well!
When you take an interest in other peoples’ lives and experiences; you’re practising empathy. By remembering people’s names, paying attention when others are speaking and treating your colleagues with respect; you are being empathetic.
Offering a random act of kindness or providing kind and constructive criticism are also acts of empathy. Empathy occurs whenever you consider and support the needs and interests of others.
By practising empathy regularly, you can improve your communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills for the benefit of yourself, your team and your wider organisation.
Showing empathy at work means you can better understand and support those around you. Empathy can help to enhance your work environment, building an inclusive and supportive team culture.
To learn more about how you can practise empathy and compassion in the workplace to develop a more positive professional environment, access Employable Me’s tools and resources specifically for employers.
