Cultivating Digital Empathy in the Modern Workplace
Christian Buckley
Marketing Strategy + Channel Development | Microsoft RD + MVP | xMicrosoft | 6-time author
As the workplace continues to evolve rapidly, particularly due to the pandemic, the importance of fostering digital empathy cannot be overstated. Digital empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of others in online environments—is crucial for enhancing workplace culture and productivity. In a time when digital interactions often lack the emotional depth of face-to-face communication, we need to be reminded and retrained to navigate this new landscape effectively.
Four key questions to consider:
Why is digital empathy essential?
Empathy plays a pivotal role in shaping workplace culture, boosting employee engagement, and driving innovation. How does your organization prioritize empathy in its daily operations?
What are the challenges in my digital interactions?
Miscommunication and lack of nonverbal cues often lead to misunderstandings. What strategies do you employ to overcome these challenges in your digital communications?
What are the impacts of empathy on my business?
Empathetic workplaces tend to see higher levels of teamwork, collaboration, and innovation. Can you share examples of how empathy has positively impacted your team or organization?
What are some strategies for fostering empathy?
From empathy training to supportive policies, there are various ways to cultivate empathy in the workplace. What steps has your organization taken to foster a culture of empathy?
Explore these points and more in my latest blog post "Cultivating Digital Empathy in the Workplace." Please share your experiences and learnings on this important topic. Let's discuss how we can all contribute to building more empathetic and connected workplaces.
Share your thoughts, experiences, and strategies in the comments below!
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1dChristian, thanks for sharing! How are you?
Change Management | Microsoft 365 | Trusted Advisor | Microsoft MVP #CallMeByMyFirstName
7moChristian Buckley I fully agree with you, empathy is more important than ever before. Empathy starts for me with the core believe that others put their best foot forward while they likely carry a package of worries I know nothing about. I have switched to working remotely almost entirely, options to meet my coworkers face-to-face are limited. To stay connected and promote empathy my camera is on by default, regardless how I feel I look (from tired to normal to radiating). I want to show others that my life has it's up and downs and it's ok to let it show. I also try to stay away from the question "How are you?". I've been struggling with a burnout since last year and the question "how are you?" stressed me tremendously. Depending on my daily shape or stress level, my answer could be a smile or breaking down in tears. Going through this crisis made me realize that there is a better way to greet each other in online meetings (and face-to-face as well.) I now start meetings with a check-in round and ask participants how they arrive. I noticed that many tell a bit more of what's going on in their life, which provides an opening to meaningful conversations later on. That in turn fosters stronger connections.
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7moI like to assign partners to work on small projects together. It allows people to get to know each other better (even if remote). It might be a simple R&D task or do some analysis or whatnot but that they are spending a day or a week together on something. Then switch 'em up next time and you get to know them so much more than group / zoom meetings. (note: you may also learn more than you wanted in that you learn you do not particularly enjoy working with someone, haha)
Chief People Officer; B2B Startup Founder & CEO; HR Advisor (@Empowerly, @Oleria, @GrowCredit, @EverOps)
7moDigital Empathy and Deep Empathy are cousins. I recently held a focus group. It was camera on. If not, I booted folks off the focus group. The fact that everyone was camera on, they were engaged. We also used a real ice breaker to start the conversation. It was refreshing for everyone. To have digital empathy you have to have deep empathy and care to build relationships. Specifically, 📍 being humble and open minded 📍 fostering mutual respect and trust 📍 cultivating genuine relationships 📍 listening and understanding It is importent to revisit an org’s cadence for the above — 1:1, weekly team meetings, monthly, quarterly, etc. If you lack the above, a company does not have digital empathy or deep empathy.
Marketing Strategy + Channel Development | Microsoft RD + MVP | xMicrosoft | 6-time author
7moWould love to hear some input from some folks in the community - especially those who I have talked with on this or similar topics! Tracy Van der Schyff Antje Lamartine Heather Cook Tiffani Bova Mike Fitzmaurice Karuana Gatimu Dona Sarkar Sharon Weaver Jason M. Tamara Bredemus Angel Cruzado Kristen Kuhns Chris Haag Tobias Koprowski David James Harjit Dhaliwal