The New “CEO”—Chief Empathy Officer
In this issue, our contributors explore the multifaceted roles CHROs inhabit today. I believe one of the most critical is recovering and healing our businesses and workforces from the trauma of the past year.
Even before the disruptive events of 2020 and early 2021—a global pandemic, a racial reckoning, economic uncertainty and the most divisive political climate in living memory—we had a larger, more encompassing problem. In our society—and in our workplaces—we have an empathy deficit.
Gradually—over many years and for many reasons—our collective ability to walk in each other’s shoes and recognize the viewpoints of others has eroded. In the workplace, the empathy deficit has built walls between employees. Our businesses can’t afford these divisions, particularly when we face so many other challenges.
Empathy—the ability and willingness to open our minds to the perspectives of others—is more than a soft skill. It’s a business skill. Empathetic workplace cultures retain the best people and enjoy higher productivity.
Yet empathy is not necessarily something we need to teach or learn. It’s inherent in human nature—part of our species’ natural search for community and commonality. I liken empathy to a muscle that can be strengthened—and a competency that CHROs can build into a company culture. The empathy muscle can be exercised in the workplace using a few different approaches.
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Announce it. CHROs make frequent policy statements to employees and we need to make a clear, unequivocal statement to them about the importance of practicing empathy right now. This statement must be echoed by the entire C-suite and filtered down through every people manager. If you abide by a set of explicit guiding principles, as SHRM does, include empathy in them.
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Reward it. The best way to elicit certain behaviors in the workplace is to reward them. Give people managers the tools to recognize and reward people who display empathy. Publicly acknowledge those whose ideas advance an inclusive workplace.
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Be creative. Activities that create new communities and bonding opportunities across the organization can pay major dividends. People tend to spend free time with like-minded friends. Encourage them to branch out and get to know others outside their circle as a way to develop empathy. You could, for example, pay for employees to take a colleague they don’t know out to lunch or share virtual takeout. Involve employees in coming up with other ideas like this—the possibilities are limitless.
Successfully building up our collective empathy muscle means we aren’t as reliant on regulation and legislation to create equitable playing fields within our companies. Because nearly all discrimination—racism, sexism, ageism, etc.—stems from a lack of empathy.
When we prioritize empathy in the workplace, we can make a social impact that will be felt not only in workplaces, but in our homes, communities and across the nation.
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP
CEO and President of SHRM