People struggle every day with stressors like anxiety, uncertainty, and adversity. Unfortunately, their job often adds to that distress. To combat this issue, a compassionate workplace can ease some of these concerns. Unfortunately, some managers feel that compassion is a sign of weakness. They remain strict, distant, and even downright cruel, just to keep their authority.
Thankfully, more managers are realizing that they need to make a change. There is enough worry in the world without having to spend eight hours a day under duress. Creating a compassionate workplace culture starts at the top, including members of the C-suite, managers, and supervisors. Empathy and kindness breed happier employees who are more likely to be productive and loyal. Here are a few tips to help you build a compassionate workplace.
1. Become Better Acquainted
As a part of the management team, it’s important to get to know your staff. And not just their name and position. If you spend time understanding your employees on a personal level, you’ll find a growing mutual respect. As you speak with them more and more, you’ll learn what motivates them, their strengths, and their weaknesses. And since they will naturally feel closer to you, they will be more likely to open up about concerns or questions.
As you get to know each worker individually, use that information to expand compassion and kindness in the workplace. For instance, bring in a cake, light candles, and sing on birthdays. When your workers lose a loved one, send sympathy gifts to show you care. Get a small present and have co-workers sign a card for each employee’s work anniversary. These thoughtful touches will mean a lot individually and can help improve the work culture.
Not only should management open up communication lines with employees, but workers should get to know each other. Sure, they have time during the lunch hour for personal conversations, but is that enough? Oftentimes, employees only talk to the same few coworkers, without ever reaching out to different people. Use team-building exercises and specific one-on-one meetings for colleagues to become acquainted.
2. Foster Inclusion
Inclusion is an important factor in any workplace. From hiring diverse candidates to gathering everyone’s opinion at the office meeting, it ensures a vibrant and innovative workforce. When everyone feels heard and respected, they are able to confidently provide their unique perspective without fear of backlash. This improves opportunities for thinking outside the box and seeing different solutions to problems.
A diverse workforce also allows for a better understanding of the customer base. Viewing the company and its products from the customer’s perspective enables you to see gaps and opportunities that are otherwise overlooked. Having an inclusive workforce gives you a step up on the competition.
When management leads without prejudice, employees are more apt to accept others outside of their community. Friendships are formed without barriers, and colleagues enjoy working together regardless of background or identity. Management should encourage workers to learn to recognize unconscious bias and challenge it within themselves. Strategic training programs can help to foster an inclusive work culture.
3. Listen to Your Workers
You need to do more than hear your workers when they speak. You need to actively listen to their words and understand the meaning behind them. A Wells Fargo study showed that 85% of employees wanted their managers to be better listeners. And you can be. Don’t think about what you are going to say next. Don’t interject. You need to concentrate on what your employee is saying to you. So, stop working and make eye contact. Active listening shows that you respect the individual enough to pay complete attention.
But truly listening in a conversation isn’t just for management. Train your staff to give each other 100% of their attention. Offer training on active listening and practice it in meetings and day-to-day interactions. You will notice that employees begin to trust each other more. They should be more willing to speak out about their ideas, concerns, and even mistakes. Collaborative projects will run more smoothly with less conflict. You may even notice improved friendships among employees.
Ask questions to clarify your employee’s statements. Restate their comments to ensure that you understand them completely. And in general, be curious. “How was your weekend, Debra?” “What’s little Johnny up to?” “Darius, have you gone skiing lately?” Remembering details about your employees and asking them pointed questions will show respect, compassion, and trust. Employees will be more apt to open up to you personally and professionally.
A Compassionate Work Environment
Developing a compassionate office culture takes time and dedication. You must lead by example, showing your staff that compassion is important to you. Making simple, dedicated changes can create big results. Bit by bit, your employees will notice the change in you and the office atmosphere will reflect that transformation. Cue training opportunities that develop skills in understanding and acceptance.
Compassionate workplaces not only have greater job satisfaction levels among employees. There is reduced stress, higher engagement, and more dedication and loyalty. Workers actually enjoy their jobs, working together, and interacting with each other. They accept each other and their differences, even becoming friends with each other. These benefits alone are enough of a reason to foster compassion. However, the fact is, a workforce built on empathy is more likely to succeed.
