Unlocking Greater Results at Work with Compassion

Researchers have proven multiple times that financial success that is dependent on transactional relationships, monetary incentives, or threat of unemployment, is not sustainable in the long term.

While incentivizing or forcing employees to improve their performance may produce immediate financial benefits, stress related illnesses drive up health care costs, reduce employee engagement and increase absenteeism in organizations. Job stress is estimated to cost American companies more than $300 billion a year while 40% of job turnover is due to stress. 

The importance of compassion

In contrast, our research at Potential Project supports the positive effects of compassion.

Employees' loyalty and service to the organization are bolstered when they are treated with compassion at work. Because individuals feel appreciated and respected in compassionate environments, compassionate leaders are viewed as more compelling and effective in their leadership roles.

Everything is, thus, intertwined. Compassion fosters a greater sense of well-being for everyone because it helps in connecting people, fostering deeper links of trust, and encouraging positive feelings such as optimism and confidence. It cultivates a shared sense of commitment and lowers attrition.

It's not hard to link all of these results to the general well-being of both individuals and the organization at large.

From theory to practice – a roadmap for compassion

Many factors inhibit compassion in the workplace. Leaders often cite a lack of time, a high-pressure environment, a lack of resources, and office politics. It's impossible to have compassion in isolation from all these elements. Therefore, compassion needs to be rooted in the overall organizational culture. That it should be a part of an organization’s purpose, values and policies is essential to its success.

So then, how does one bring compassion into the workplace? Here are three strategies:

Place greater emphasis on employee well-being

Leaders who are more empathetic and attentive towards their employees’ wellbeing are more likely to lead to long-term results. For example, rather than pressuring an employee who has just faced a personal loss with regulations and formalities, a compassionate working environment would allow them time off and offer them support to help overcome the difficulty and bounce back constructively.

Practice “rational empathy”

When leaders connect with their team members’ distress or suffering, there is a risk of getting emotionally overwhelmed, leading to empathetic burnout and the inability to make decisions that are important for the business. On the other hand, if leaders are able to “take a mental step back”, i.e., move into “rational empathy” and ask “how can I be of benefit to this individual?", it allows them to create more mental space and support the person by taking appropriate actions, perhaps simply listening and holding space, or acting in ways that can alleviate the suffering.

Caring, clear and direct communication

Being compassionate doesn’t at all mean one is always a “nice guy leader”. For example, employees who aren’t performing well need to be given tough feedback. In fact, not giving this feedback would be the most un-compassionate thing to do! Leader must practice checking in with their intentions (“do I genuinely want the best for this employee?”), and delivering the hard message in a direct, clear and compassionate manner.

Taking Care of Oneself

Finally, self-care has to come first. We will never comprehend the value of compassion and how it benefits us unless we are compassionate to ourselves. Self-compassion aka taking care of oneself can take many forms: it can be internally focused by labeling the “inner critic” that constantly berates you, or taking time off work to spend time with the family….

The topic of compassion in the workplace is timely and important, and it will only becoming more relevant in the future. With the myriad benefits it provides for employees’ well-being and performance as well as for the organization’s long-term success and health, leaders must turn their attention to leveraging compassion as the ruling compass for all their actions in the workplace.