Engage and motivate your people with authentic empathy

Author:
Emily Marshall, Manager, People Advisory Services, EY Canada

Contributors:
Lindsay Falkov, Associate Partner, EY Canada
Andrea Wolfson, Partner, People Advisory Services, EY Canada
Andy Leung, Director, Workforce Advisory Services, EY Canada
Greg Hedgecoe, People Advisory Services, Workforce Advisory, EY Canada

Fostering empathy in the workplace is vital for countering burnout and enhancing trust, contributing to overall workplace achievement.

In brief

• Drive success and innovation in Canada by embedding genuine empathy into your organizational culture.
• Survey-backed data underscores empathy's impact, countering burnout, boosting trust, and contributing to overall success in the workplace.
• Actively integrate empathy into organizational frameworks, creating a safe environment and encouraging open dialogue, fostering a positive and collaborative work future.

How can understanding your people help them shine?

With most Canadian employees citing empathy as core to leadership, trust, inclusion and wellbeing, you can’t afford to relegate this quality to a single talking point at a town hall meeting.

Authentic empathy is now a business imperative. Embedded at the heart of corporate culture, it plays a major part in fostering workforce success, innovation and results. Leaders who authentically live and share empathy every day can catalyze this super strength to unleash its many benefits.

A business case for authentic empathy

By the numbers, empathy — the ability to understand and share feelings for another person — is crucial to success in today’s uncertain workplace. A recent EY survey polled 1,000 managers and non-managers employed by Canadian organizations in four different markets. Their sentiments on empathy were abundantly clear. Among people surveyed:

• 91% said empathy in the workplace is important. An equal number consider empathy important to building trust within a team.
• 90% reported that empathy leads to better leadership.
• 88% considered empathy essential to fostering an inclusive environment.
• 87% said leader-driven empathy promotes greater employee wellbeing.

The case for empathy in the workplace becomes even stronger when you place these findings in the context of today’s complex working world. After several tumultuous years and movements like the Great Resignation and quiet quitting, as well as monumental shifts to virtual and hybrid working models, the workplace is now rife with unknowns.

That’s also true of the market itself. Global economies are experiencing ongoing uncertainty. In many ways, the workplace feels uncertain – a factor that can drive down productivity and drive-up burnout. In fact, one in five employees surveyed doesn’t currently feel engaged at work; 49% of employees not currently engaged at work cite burnout as the main reason.

By contrast, empathy can bridge these gaps and improve those feelings. Whether you’re experiencing high turnover or a slow in attrition as employees more begrudgingly stay, an engaged and healthy workforce is a necessity to motivate your people to contribute to a productive workforce.

Our survey reveals that 8 out of 10 people say when leaders are empathetic toward employees, it decreases feelings of burnout. The research also shows mutual empathy benefits many aspects of workforce and organizational success, including trust, job satisfaction and productivity.

Still, organizations continue to miss out on the positive lift that more authentic empathy provides:

• Some 55% of employees have previously left a job because the company didn’t value their wellbeing; 51% have quit because they had difficulties connecting with their manager or supervisor.
• While 44% of employees said there have been times when their personal life has interfered with their ability to perform their job, 47% of those who have quit over a lack of wellbeing say their manager or supervisor wasn’t empathetic to their personal or professional struggles.
• On the other hand, employees who say they have empathetic leaders report improved work experiences, including the ability to be more innovative, a stronger sense of engagement, a heightened sense of belonging and a greater ability to navigate the demands of work and life. All of this means they’re unlikely to leave their employers.

It’s time for organizations to turn this tide and embrace empathy to drive positive change.

What does authentic empathy at work really mean?

For too long, the very concept of empathy has been reduced to a brief mention in all-hands webcasts or internal communications. But it’s more than that. Empathy represents a sincere feeling that is fostered and shared among colleagues.

For workers, authentic empathy ultimately comes down to whether or not they feel their needs – both personal and professional – are being listened to, understood and accommodated by their organization’s leadership. In many ways, this is nothing new; employees have long wanted to have their voices heard and desires met. But the pandemic supercharged those expectations, especially around issues like mental wellbeing, flexible hours and hybrid working.

1. Are we waiting for employees to speak up?
Proactively create psychological safety by not just encouraging people to speak up, but creating opportunities for them to share their points of view by directly asking them to do so. Listen intently instead of planning what you will say next; focus on the individualand give space.

2. How available are we to the team?
Ensure all employees have access to senior management. Dedicate time to scheduling and attending regular one-on-one meetings with individuals. Consider creating opportunities for employees to provide you with anonymous feedback and actively monitor their responses.

3. When was the last time we really connected with the team?
Participate in team-building exercises and encourage those around you to do the same. Host events that create trust through collaboration and shared experiences. Use these moments to be vulnerable and show your team that this is a safe place where they can share.

4. How open are we to honest dialogue?
Demonstrate that you are interested in hearing and understanding the employees on your team and their professional and personal concerns. Host training and communication workshops about having open discussions – with a third-party or impartial person to guide open discussions as required – to help employees develop the skills to participate in open and honest dialogue.

5. Are we walking the talk?
Demonstrate from the top the appropriate way to implement these suggestions so your people understand expectations and believe that leaders are being authentic in prioritizing empathy.

What’s the bottom line?

Research proves empathetic leaders create work environments that supercharge business outcomes. When employees feel connected, trusted and heard, they can unleash their full potential. Empathy is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s an absolute must, capable of building positive progress in the future of work.

Summary

Fostering genuine empathy is pivotal for organizational success and innovation. Supported by survey data, empathy not only counters burnout but also enhances trust, contributing significantly to overall workplace success. Actively integrating empathy into organizational frameworks, creating a safe environment, and encouraging open dialogue are essential steps towards cultivating a positive and collaborative work culture.