Showing care in the workplace

Have you considered the power of workplace empathy to further your career? It can be a powerful tool for not only making your mark and feeling happier about your career.

The business world is a funny place to be at times. It can often be a parade of who is big, brave and has it together. On the surface, anyway.

The truth is emotional intelligence and demonstrating your creative, adaptable and team orientated side is often going to get you much further in a progressive workplace. That means laying down the armour, not having all the answers and looking for the opportunity to create a strong team vibe.

Here are some non-cheesy ways to show your inner team player and exercise workplace empathy in style

Put yourself in someone else’s shoes

Humans are funny in that we spend so much time inside our own heads, sometimes we forget to look out and review the bigger picture. This can lead to having a skewed view of our situation in relation to others. We can over-invest in our own story and forget that someone else may be facing challenges of their own.

Empathy is the ability to see the person behind the facade. It’s about taking a moment to consider a person or a situation on a deeper level.

One helpful way to foster workplace empathy is to volunteer. This might mean looking at ways to help with corporate responsibility programs. It could mean joining a program outside the workplace. Or maybe putting your hand up to mentor junior staff in your spare time.

By stepping back and recognising someone else and looking for ways to bridge the gap, you can begin to grow emotionally. You can also understand people and workplace politics better. It can also help you find alternatives and solutions.

Plus, that level of emotional growth doesn’t go unnoticed.

PRO TIP: Instead of looking for the differences between you and someone else, look for the similarities. Find a way to common ground. Look for the opportunity to understand others through direct action.

The person is not the problem

Often, the person becomes confused with the problem in a workplace. Perhaps we’re mad at having our holidays denied. Or we don’t understand why we got passed over for a promotion or a special project. Perhaps someone has let down the team or created an issue you had to fix.

That doesn’t mean someone is going out of their way to create problems for you. It doesn’t mean “the boss hates me”. It doesn’t mean someone is a “bad person”.

It might simply mean the boss has a directive from HQ we’re not aware of they have to follow. Or they know someone else is better suited for another opportunity. Or that they have you earmarked for something else.

Maybe someone has let you down unintentionally and feels as disappointed and frustrated as you do. Perhaps they needed support that never arrived or didn’t know what they were doing.

The person is not the problem. The problem is the problem.

By taking the emotion and personal insinuation out of the problem at hand, you have a better chance of solving it. Plus, the person in question is going to be far more open towards you if you treat them with compassion. This could help prevent further issues – and even bring you closer together.

PRO TIP: Being able to rise above the emotional and the political to find a solution is an in-demand quality. It will endear you to fellow workers and management alike. And it will make it easier to manage tense situations on an emotional and practical level while honing your workplace empathy skills.

Exercising self-care

Everyone works hard. We’re facing increased workplace pressures, responsibilities and hours. When we finally get home, work is on our mind. It’s a pervasive aspect of our lives. This pervasiveness can influence our ability to remain stress-free. Stress in turn can create more of the same and impede our ability to focus and perform.

Most of this is avoidable by practising self-care and turning some of that workplace empathy and consideration towards yourself.

Stapling yourself to the desk and punching the time sheet to show dedication is not smart. What is smart is looking after yourself, so you are at your peak. Maintaining a schedule that allows for friends, family and fun times is a great way to relieve stress. Exercise and eating healthy foods are also important to fuelling your imagination and resilience.

Take time out to read books, spend time in nature, have a laugh and look for the things that inspire you. Dabble with your creativity in the garden, at karaoke and/or with your favourite art supplies. Grab a massage or a haircut. Be grateful for what you have and be optimistic about the challenges ahead. All these things help maintain perspective in relation to our working lives and create healthy outlets.

It may sound like small drops in a large bucket, yet self-care works as a web to reduce stress on the body and mind. This in turn reduces our stress and the potential risk of physical and mental health issues.

A calm under pressure worker is a valuable one indeed. Protect that persona by making self-care a priority.

PRO TIP: You can’t give from an empty cup. Make sure you add self-care to your daily routine. When times are tough, amp up that self-care to add to your support mechanisms.

Leave the haters be

One thing you’ll never be able to manage is someone else’s desire to make your situation difficult. How you respond to them is what counts. Engaging in antagonism will only breed more of the same.  It might alienate others as a by-product as they attempt to avoid workplace politics.

It’s tough to face the office white-ant or the bully. Brene Brown has the perfect remedy when you’re finding yourself unable to fathom someone else’s behaviour and/or tap into empathy.

“Do the best work you can and find the courage to put your work out there and know that, no matter what you do, some people are going to like it and some people aren’t. All you can really control is how you feel about what you’ve contributed. The thing was to say out loud how hard that really is: ‘I want to be brave with my work and I want to be brave with my life.’ People will find a million reasons to tear it down, so you have to be really sure about what you’re doing, because in the end, if you believe in it that’s enough.”

Adopting this kind of attitude is powerful. Not only does it serve as protection during difficult times, it sends a peaceful yet strong message that you are not to be trifled with. And it tells those that are watching from the sidelines that you care more about getting the job done than getting involved in drama.

PRO TIP: You are your own best champion. Displaying a consistent, responsive approach to your work and your workplace puts you at a distinct advantage over others who invest in drama.