Not only do empathic leaders drive engagement, creativity and innovation, but they are also key to retaining staff and reducing employee burnout, confirmed a new Catalyst study.
As employers grapple with the Great Resignation, new research from the global non-profit which is focused on building workplaces that work for women, demonstrates that company leaders who show empathy help to reduce intent to leave and burnout, especially for women of colour.
In fact, 54% women of colour with highly empathic senior leaders were less likely to report high levels of general workplace burnout than those with less empathic senior leaders (67%), confirmed the report. Additionally, 33% of women of colour with less empathic senior leaders are thinking about leaving their organisation, compared to only 18% with highly empathic senior leaders.
IMPACT ON INCLUSION
The research also revealed that employees with highly empathic senior leaders report higher levels of creativity (61%) and engagement (76%) than those with less empathic senior leaders (13% and 32%, respectively). It also found that empathic leaders (managers and senior leaders) respect employee life circumstances, support both life and work needs, and foster inclusion, compared to less empathic leaders.
In fact, empathic leaders contribute to more inclusive workplace experiences. Senior leader empathy has a significant effect on inclusion; with 50% of employees with highly empathic senior leaders often or always report experiencing inclusion at work; compared to just 17% of people with less empathic senior leadership.
The study of nearly 900 US employees working across industries, confirmed that empathy is a business imperative for companies and leaders in the future of work. Empathic leaders have been critical in helping employees adjust to shifting life-work obligations and cope with the stress of the ongoing pandemic, noted the research. The study defines an empathic leader as one who “demonstrates care, concern, and understanding for employees’ life circumstances”, particularly in the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Image credit: Yan Krukov, Pexels
EMPATHIC LEADERSHIP: A CRITICAL SKILL
“This study’s focus on the business benefits of empathic leadership is more important than ever; especially in light of a pandemic and the ‘Great Resignation’. Empathic leaders understand that empathy is not just a ‘nice-to-have’ or ‘feel-good’ quality. It is an essential skill that is immensely valuable in the future of work,” highlighted the report’s author Tara Van Bommel. “The ability to connect deeply and understand unique perspectives and experiences is a skill that is not automatable and helps people navigate the uncertainty and disruption to come.”
The study emphasises that empathy is a skill that anyone can build and recommends investing in empathy training for leaders. It also outlines some actions leaders can take to be empathic in their interactions to ultimately create a more innovative, engaged and inclusive company culture. This includes:
- Imagining how a colleague is feeling from their unique perspective.
- Communicating similar emotions, such as concern, that a colleague does.
- Demonstrating active listening and a desire to understand more about colleagues’ feelings, experiences, or reactions.
“Empathy is a critical skill to successfully develop a connection and encourage collaboration in hybrid and remote workplaces,” concluded Catalyst President & CEO Lorraine Hariton. “This research provides a roadmap for senior leaders to reduce turnover and best position an organisation and their employees for success through the pandemic and beyond.”
Click here to access the full report. Another recent study also confirmed that empathetic leadership is ‘critical’ to employee wellbeing as more staff return to the workplace. Click here to read more.
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