RW - 003: Creating an Empathy SWAT Team in the Workplace

Welcome to Reimagining Work where we challenge assumptions about what work can, and should, be in our lives.?

Did you know the future of work is about more than just technological advancements??

It’s also about creating healthy connections between people and work that leads to fulfillment and meaning.?

So please join me on this mission of eradicating soul-sucking work!

If you like my takes on the reimagination of work, please sign up for my monthly newsletter on substack here: https://jasondcochran.substack.com/

In each edition of Reimagining Work, I’ll share content that’s concise and challenges common assumptions about work in our lives! I keep the formatting and structure consistent with unforgettable segments like:

• Perfect Labor Storm ?? - Jaw-dropping data and trends around the future of work?
• Weekly Connection ??- The most important learning or unlearning from this week
• The Prescription ?? - Tips and recommendations
• The Journey Ahead ?? - What’s coming soon

Let’s begin!

Perfect Labor Storm ??

• A study conducted by OnePoll indicated 62% of American workers worry their bosses would judge them for taking mental health days
• According to Businessolver’s sixth annual State of Workplace Empathy study, 68% of CEOs admitted they fear they will be less respected if they show empathy in the workplace.
• That same study found that 76% of employees believe an empathetic organization inspires more motivated employees
• In a 2021 Ernst and Young survey, 89% of employees agreed that empathy leads to better leadership and 79% agree it decreases employee turnover

Weekly Connection ??

The world is rapidly changing, and so are the ways we work and connect with others. The traditional 9-5 workday is fading away, and people are now integrating life and work in different ways.?

This means the way we communicate and connect at work should also evolve to keep pace with these changing demands.

Unfortunately, the Perfect Labor Storm data above show we still have 68% of CEO’s in the USA who fear they’ll be less respected if they show empathy in the workplace.

In other words, they view empathy at work as a weakness instead of a strength.

This relates directly to one of my pet peeves in business philosophy, which is the tendency by many leaders to still view people as ‘assets’.

People are people.?

They are not property, and they most certainly are not owned by anyone or anything.?

Yet when this term, ‘assets’, is used to describe people in the organization, it seeps into the culture and frames how people are viewed and ultimately treated - particularly by those with more power and authority in the hierarchical structure.?

“One of the darkest extensions of what capitalism can do is that it can reduce people down to what they just produce.” - Liesel Mertes

This is why empathy has never been more important than today. Workplaces are filled with folks who are struggling and want to be seen and heard - particularly when they’re going through a hard time. But most workplaces aren’t equipped to support these innate needs.

We’ve all probably experienced (or been the deliverers of) empathy attempts gone wrong. It can sound like this:

• When losing a loved one: “Well, at least they aren’t suffering anymore.”
• When sharing about a hard day: “Well at least you don’t have to deal with [fill in the blank with your problem].”
• When opening up and sharing a hardship: “The same thing happened to me when…”

Empathy is a core human skill that can and should be developed, but it seems like few institutions (e.g., schools, businesses) actually teach it.

Imagine if we could equip organizations with empathy toolkits embedded in the company policies and employee experiences. How could this be done, and what would it look like?

A few weeks ago I had workplace empathy expert, Liesel Mindrebo Mertes - Founder of Handle with Care Consulting, on my top-rated podcast The Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization Show with Ira Wolfe to discuss empathy toolkits and creating empathy SWAT teams at work.

Watch the episode below:

Or listen on your favorite podcast platforms below:

• ?Apple
• Spotify
• Amazon
• iHeart

The Prescription ??

Here are just a few of the insightful connections and tips Liesel shared on building empathy in the workplace:

• ?The best way to teach and coach empathy is through empathy avatars (e.g., Fix It Frank) to help people recognize their go to mechanisms (good and bad) for how they tend engage in empathic behaviors.
• Stoplight check-ins (Green, Yellow, Red) are a great way to start meetings and allow folks to share anything they want to share. This takes the temperature of the room in terms of how others are showing up that day.
• Empathy isn’t just about how we show up for others in the difficult times; it’s also about how we show up in the good times for others.
• Empathy practices must show up in company policies: Bereavement policies - Grief is neither discrete nor linear. It’s not just about the number of days off; orgs must also skill up staff on how to respond once a team member returns to the workplace following a major loss. Onboarding touch points - Instead of simply orienting a new hire to the company basics over a few days, embed some empathy training in the onboarding and inject more “Get to Know Me’ opportunities for the new hire to share who they are with their teams.
• Put empathy in your calendar: If there are people for whom you know the holidays are a tough time of year, send them a message acknowledging such and that you’re thinking of them. Keep notes of some important life or work milestones for others (e.g. getting married, having kids, earning a promotion, etc.) to send positive notes of encouragement and affirmation
• Include and measure empathy behavior expectations in performance management. What gets measured gets managed properly, including the weeding out of poor empathy practices in the organization which impact wellness, turnover, and productivity.

Recommended Resources:

• Liesel’s Handle With Care Consulting website
• Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg

The Journey Ahead ??

It's time for another short teaser trailer from my new podcast series, GGG Unleashed!

Ira Wolfe and I are unleashing the world's top thought leaders on the #FutureofWork in mini-episodes each month.

You can think of them as mini-TedTalks (podcast version) in the Geeks Geezers Googlization feed!

Up next in the GGG Unleashed series is thought leader Paul McCarthy .

The title of his series is The Future of Leadership!

Check out the 2 minute trailer below!

• https://tinyurl.com/5n77u5we

Known as the CEO who was fired for what he was hired to do, Paul is a disruptor, a rebel, and a challenger of the status quo when it comes to developing future-ready leaders. Over the next 12 months, Paul will challenge what you thought you knew about leadership development and share what you must do differently to grow and thrive, using his proprietary leadership development model.

Paul’s episodes will drop each month on all of GGG’s channels, so stay tuned for more disruptive content challenging the status quo in business!

Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss these must-listen episodes of GGG Unleashed!

Whenever you're ready to Reimagine Work, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Subscribe to my top 1% podcast ( The Geeks, Geezers, and Googlization Show ) concerning the Future of Work:

• Apple Podcasts
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• iHeart Radio
• Stitcher

2. Join my virtual community, Googlization Nation, with fellow business and HR leaders focused on the Future of Work.

3. Discover your Purpose in 15 minutes.

- Unlock your WHY.os (WHY, HOW, & WHAT) and be who you were always meant to be!