The power to collaborate: are you STEMpathy?

We are currently living in a period in which changes are constantly occurring at the technological, social and environmental levels. Is there still room for human qualities in a world where technology seems to be taking over? Is the professional world doomed to detach itself from emotions in the name of performance and collaboration? Maybe not, thanks to STEMpathy.

What is STEMpathy?

Compassion, empathy, character, collaborative work, decision-making, team spirit, creativity... are the soft skills of the future. The concept of STEMpathy becomes interesting, inviting us to take a step back. This by consciously integrating empathy, resilience and compassion into the study of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. The results will be in favor of practitioners of these specialties, empathy allowing them to work, communicate and interact concretely with their collaborators, but also in life in general.

Yes, but robots will soon replace humans!

In an article titled "The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: Will Robots Really Replace People?" dating from May 2022, Forbes explained that "Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to invade our daily lives by 2025. This could have enormous implications for several industries, including health care, customer service and logistics. AI is already driving advances in medical research and climate research, not to mention self-driving cars. ? To add that “According to Pew Research, about half (48%) of the experts surveyed believe that robots and digital agents will displace a significant number of blue and white collar jobs (…)” while for “the other half (52%), robotics and AI create more jobs than they take" and that "if AI replaces humans, these experts have confidence in human ingenuity to create new jobs , new industries and new ways of earning a living, as at the dawn of the industrial revolution”

Empathy, a vital ingredient of a productive professional collaboration

Empathy is a tool. If it is not innate, it is learned, maintained and can be applied in all areas of life, including professional. This statement is even truer now that we have experienced the Covid-19 pandemic and its health measures, including strict confinement. Admittedly, physical distancing was mitigated through remote communication, and later through hybrid working, but many employees suffered and still suffer from the imposed distancing with their colleagues. This awareness of the importance of social ties should be a springboard for companies and all actors in training, but also in education. Everyone should take the time to press the “pause” button and take stock: what place does STEMpathy occupy in their operation? What initiatives have they put in place and which ones should be put in place, to remind people that they are above all professionals and future professionals endowed with reason and emotions?.

STEMpathy, a necessary approach.

The race for performance within the company, for levels, for perfect grades, for the right answers is an intrinsic part of human nature. Without it, we would never have reached and dominated the top of the food chain. The other side of the coin is however unenviable: explosion of problems related to mental health, burn-out, demotivation. According to the latest Pulse 2022 study from the Future Forum, the overall satisfaction of executives at work has decreased by 15% compared to 2021. 20% of these same executives complain of a recent work-life imbalance and 40% are much more stressed and anxious at work than before. And if it was time to "take the problem upside down" to use the popular expression and put the human in the foreground. What if it was time to go back to basics, including compassion, kindness, empathy, character, team spirit in the way the company operates?

#empathy, #futureofwork, #remotework