Why is it important to think about the needs of others?-Something to ponder on. Most workplaces have a leadership style where workers obey rules and regulations just as told or written. With that, employees are not heartened to work as a team. However, an empathic leadership system is expected to increase productivity, morale and loyalty.

Empathy is the ability to step into someone else’s shoes, be familiar with their feelings and understand their needs. 

Why is empathy important in the workplace?

For Richard Adefemi, a businessman, empathy in the workplace is very important for the growth and productivity of organisations. Empathy can be in both ways, for example, from employer to employee, and vice versa, but it starts first with employer to employee. 

He says, in simple terms, empathy allows us to understand how other people are feeling or to comprehend what they are going through in life. In the case of empathy from employer to employee, the employer shows support, care and understanding to the employee. It could be in terms of mental health related issues, where the employer acts as a confidant and a conduit to refer the affected employee to an appropriate specialist with moral and financial support, or it could be for other issues. 

He also adds that it could be for basic issues experienced by employees such as child care difficulties, financial support, temporary accommodation needs, or even transportation. 

"When employers become empathetic to their employees, they are showing that they care for them, value and understand them. When this happens, such organisations thrive and progress easily. Empathy-led organisations indirectly build great relationships between the organisation and the employees. The employee also naturally develops loyalty, becomes more committed, and will go over and beyond for the employer whenever the opportunity calls to do so,” Adefemi says. 

He also points out that there are examples of employees who have preferred to go through a pay cut in order to ensure the survival of their employer because of their loyalty, and dedication, and this has been a direct result of different ways of empathy shown to the employees over time. 

The business personnel carries on that employers who don’t show empathy, or those who don’t have an empathy based structure in place to support its employees, are likely to encounter huge employee turnover (rate of replacement). Employees will sooner or later move from a no-empathy based organisation, to an empathy-based one. 

Experts say that empathy allows us to feel safe with our failures because we won’t simply be blamed for them. It encourages leaders to understand the root cause behind poor performance and allows leaders to help struggling employees improve and excel.

Mwiza Burungi, a business administrator explains that through active listening, employees are shown empathy as they are sure that their bosses value their ideas. "After listening, they expect feedback from their managers, appreciating and understanding their ideas is something to motivate them to participate in meetings. When you try your best to let out your ideas that you think would help the company grow but are not given attention, you can feel discouraged.”

Empathy can also elevate customer satisfaction. Research suggests human interaction is the primary way people judge service quality, and these interactions shape an organisation’s reputation. When we approach our work with a belief that each customer deserves our full attention and kindness, it builds trust and loyalty. 

"Caring about customers requires time to observe, ask questions, and respond thoughtfully, that way, you have met the needs of other people.”