Empathy in the Workplace

In this content you will read:

1. What is empathy at work?

2. The importance of empathy in the work environment;

3. Step by step to develop empathy at work;

4. Practice to help you be more empathetic;

Go ahead and read.

1. What is empathy at work?

Having empathy at work means demonstrating the ability to understand the emotions and point of view of the other. Which means, putting yourself in the shoes of colleagues, managers and customers.

To better understand this concept, we need to clarify that empathy is not a feeling, but a socio-emotional skill.

The empathetic professional can more easily connect with people, work as a team, and put mutual collaboration into practice.

Therefore, we can say that empathy is part of the most desired soft skills (behavioral skills) in the work environment.

When incorporated into the organizational culture, it has a decisive impact on internal communication and productivity, in addition to improving the level of engagement.

2. The importance of empathy in the work environment

Empathy at work works as a bridge that connects different people and realities, promoting identification among employees.

According to a 2020 survey by the State of Workplace Empathy Study, carried out annually in the US by Businessolver, 90% of professionals say that empathy is fundamental within companies.

The study shows that managers see great potential for increasing productivity and employees see it as a source of motivation and engagement.

At GX2, we believe that a company is empathetic at all levels when considering the opinions of employees.

3. Step by step to develop empathy at work that we use at GX2:

• We develop listening: it is by listening to the other without prejudice or judgment that you start to train your empathy;
  
  
• Flexible hours to reconcile professional and personal life;
  
  
• Partial or full home office policy for employees;
  
  
• We promote dialogues and exchanges of ideas;
  
  
• We practice recognition through a meritocracy system;
  
  
• We promote diversity and inclusion. We defend the freedom to be who you are, free from stereotypes and prejudice.

We work daily to build a diverse and plural environment that values and respects differences.

4. Practice to help you be more empathetic

Put your information on paper:

•  First name or surname;
• Marital status and if you have children and pets;
• Position and function within the company;
• Training;
• Main hobbies;
• Areas of interest.
• Discuss with a colleague about the same topics. This is a good practice to get to know each other in the best possible way.

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