Empathy in the workplace drives an organization’s success story
For an organization to maintain a healthy work culture, it is crucial to building empathy in the workplace. The development of the organizational culture begins by enhancing people's relationships. After all, the organization is centered on the people. People want to feel involved in an organization’s goals and expect empathy in the workplace. It is for this reason that just providing a great salary is not enough in the modern age.
According to research by Businessolver, 77% of employees say they would work longer hours for an empathetic employer, while 60% say they would accept a lower salary from a compassionate employer.
It is human instinct to enjoy working in an environment where people are mindful of others' feelings. We want an environment where people don’t tend to entirely get sucked into routines and forget to take note of our feelings.
That said, adopting a compassionate tone in the workplace is not simple. Understanding other people's emotions is a key skill and it develops over time.
Social capital – the bond
Organizations that successfully build and sustain high levels of social capital are more likely to get employees aligned to their company culture and more attuned to the goals of the broader organization.
In a traditional workplace, social interaction involves individuals and groups spending time together, exchanging ideas, interacting on projects learning together, and generally growing closer to one another through shared experiences. These frequencies of interactions produce trust.
I believe that our actions can help us to create stronger connections, build a culture of honesty and openness, and to make a real difference to the emotional well-being and productivity of our colleagues.
Empathy fuels productivity
When organizations focus on embedding a culture of empathy, collaboration increases, and productivity increases, leading to easier solutions.
Employees have a chance to open up on areas they are struggling with while leaders can work on finding a way to overcome these barriers to productivity, promoting an environment where self-improvement is central.
This in turn decreases conflict and creates a common understanding of emotions and motivation. People become more productive as they focus more on their work as opposed to spending time pointing fingers and victimizing.
Giving and receiving feedback at work also becomes easier as employees are open about their failures and leaders gain an understanding of why certain areas are not well done and this gives everyone the opportunity to improve. In general, work-related stress is reduced as people understand each other’s challenges or they relate.
Understanding behaviors
The behavior of your colleagues can give you a clear indication of the chemistry and trust between the members of the company. Some people constantly criticize and always find fault in anything and everything. Others overreact and have constant outbursts of anger or impatience. Then there are people who would never admit that they are wrong and will never be sorry about anything causing arguments.
When you reflect on this, complaints from members or the hesitation to have teamwork are usually a sign. When you see no desire for communication or cooperation between your employees, it’s possibly a time to have that discussion.
Building or raising empathy in the workplace
One important thing to keep in mind is there is no clear-cut way to practice empathy in the workplace. It could be as simple as just listening to a colleague’s story about an illness, the loss of someone they know, or offering to help cover sick days.
By practicing empathy, you prevent quick judgment and stereotyping. You view things from a different perspective to understand the experience, emotions, and needs. In the workplace, empathy helps develop a clearer awareness between people. It is therefore important to always be an attentive listener, ask questions, avoid judgment and assumptions, and recognize people’s feelings.
At Al Masaood Automobiles, we are a multi-cultural organization that is focused on recognizing and understanding that humanity comes before anything. As a people-centric organization, we strive to accommodate each other’s perspectives and work as a team. We previously had to readjust our Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and performance parameters among other things to ensure our employees are mentally capable and our work environment stays healthy.
In conclusion, there is no set solution to resolve all of today’s workplace issues or rework your performance management approach overnight. It is an ongoing process. I encourage everyone to practice empathy. You and your employees are more likely to resolve conflict, build productive and efficient teams, and improve relationships organization-wide, as well as with customers.
About the author
Irfan Tansel: Global Citizen and CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles
With over 40 years of experience spanning across three continents, Irfan Tansel is recognized as ‘100 inspiring leaders in the Middle East’ by Arabian Business magazine and ‘CEO of the Year’ by CEO Magazine, and he is driven to disrupt the automotive industry and to create a legacy.
Irfan’s passion for automobiles began at the age of 15 when he apprenticed as an auto mechanic. Now an entrepreneurial and visionary leader, Irfan is credited for his unique approach to innovation, employee engagement, and more recently, succeeding in a challenging market. In 2019 and 2020, Al Masaood Automobiles gained global recognition for re-strategizing; creating an omnichannel experience to prepare for Industry 4.0. Al Masaood Automobiles launched the region’s first e-commerce car buying website with Nissan, and a virtual, live & interactive sales platform. 2019 was a record-breaking year with Al Masaood Automobiles selling more cars than ever before.
Under Irfan’s leadership, Al Masaood Automobiles have been awarded numerous accolades. In both 2013 and 2019, Al Masaood Automobiles won the coveted Nissan Global Award, recognizing their outstanding performance and contribution to Nissan’s business.
Renault’s prestigious Global Partners Award (P.A.R.I.S. Challenge), received in 2020, is the highest accolade for car dealerships granted for exceptional performance in customer satisfaction, and in Sales and Aftersales – tapping into new market segments, strengthening the brand, and expanding their portfolio. They reported a staggering double digit sales growth, outperforming other Renault dealers around the globe.
With an unrelenting desire to best serve his customers, Irfan believes that “the road to recognition is built upon a commitment to leave behind the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary”. His competitive nature drives his vision to revolutionise the industry and lead the transition into a future where disruption capitalizes innovation. After achieving his goals and reaching the peak of his career, he is determined to motivate tomorrow’s leaders by sharing his extensive knowledge in leadership.
When Irfan isn’t preparing for a future of disruption, as electric cars, connectivity, autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing come into play, you can find him spending time with his family and playing golf.
For media and keynote inquiries, please email his brand manager Jen at Jen@prestidgegroup.com or call +971 55 719 3601. DOWNLOAD IRFAN’S MEDIA KIT.
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