Why Empathy Is Essential to Workforce Wellness

  Organizational Culture   Resource Management  

The pace of technology developments has affected us psychologically. The speed can seem relentless. The frequent iterations can feel overwhelming. The need for ongoing updates can feel destabilizing. Added to which, the pandemic brought extraordinary emotional strain, terrible tragedies, widespread burnout, unsettling uncertainty, and greater geography-based anomalies and volatilities.

How are you doing? No, seriously. What’s been going on this week? Did anything distract you temporarily so you were not able to apply your full attention to your work? Were you worrying about a simmering issue at home? Was your inconsistent workout routine troubling you? Have you been stressing about any recent changes at work and what they might mean for your job or security? Were you fretting about saving for your kids’ college? Did you wonder how you could help your friend or cousin who is struggling with anxiety?

At the same time, at work, maybe you have you been mulling over a potential alert relating to a current project:

• A coworker was less responsive than normal—did that signify anything?

• You witnessed an insensitive interaction at a meeting— how should you follow up?

• One of your reports dropped the ball again. Something small, but it feels like a red flag—how can you discreetly check what is going on?

Every team member …

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