Empathetic Leadership in 2023: Practical Ways Leaders Can Support Their Employees

By Ramesh Ramani, CEO, ExpertusONE

Empathy is at the center of the newest corporate movement. It’s surprising and counter-cultural, but it’s true: companies are working to show their employees that they care. Even Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella shared the sentiment in the company’s annual report. “Care is the new currency,” he wrote, noting the company’s commitment to creating an environment where employees can thrive.

Employees have weathered a storm of challenges since the beginning of 2021. Many switched industries, sought out new career paths, or faced layoffs and firings in their roles. It’s been said a million times, but those changes were unprecedented and came as a shock to most leaders and employees alike.

Now, companies are reevaluating their strategies and directives for the long haul. No longer in crisis mode trying to respond to the pandemic, leaders are looking to craft sustainable business models that support the needs of employees while simultaneously supporting the company’s overall goals.

The concept at the foundation of this movement is empathy. Leaders are working to convey the sentiment that they understand what their employees are working with and that they, the company, can be relied on for support.

While all of that may sound theoretical and intangible, it is highly practical. Companies can build entire missions and value systems out of this empathy model. In practice, when empathy is the lens through which companies assess their strategies, leaders will find a reason to invest further in tools, systems, and processes employees use every day. Company leaders cannot simply change messaging to communicate the message of care to their employees. Leaders must make conscious steps toward supporting employees, and these steps together will show employees that leaders care.

Here are five practical ways company leaders can embrace empathetic leadership and show employees that they can care.

1. Communicate employee-centric values and expectations

At this point, most companies have decided whether or not they will adopt a remote or hybrid work schedule. Many employees have already adjusted to a new way of working, especially if they are no longer going to the office. The biggest potential stressor employees face in these unique work environments is whether or not they feel they are meeting expectations. It is more difficult to measure productivity when employees are not in the office, and, for many dedicated employees, it can be difficult to know if a manager is satisfied with their work in this new working environment.

For example, even small changes to the timeframe of working might cause an employee to question if they are meeting a manager’s expectations. Employees who all clocked in at 8 a.m. and out at 5 p.m. every day may be on different schedules when working from home. Perhaps one employee starts work later in the morning after taking their kids to school and therefore finishes up work later in the day after the kids have gone to bed. Another employee might choose to work early in the morning to have more free time in the afternoon and evening.

It’s imperative that companies communicate expectations so that employees can thrive. Some teams may still need to adhere to a strict eight-to-five schedule so that everyone can work synchronously. Others may be able to function with greater flexibility. Managers can support employees’ needs by communicating expectations for work, from appropriate work hours to knowing when they can ignore an after-hours message from a manager to whether or not an employee can take an internal meeting or town hall while taking a walk. The first step in empathetic leadership is setting more individualized expectations.

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2. Listen to employees’ needs and follow up regularly

Making a movement toward an empathetic leadership style is not a single-step process. Instead, companies must make constant small movements in order to embrace an empathetic leadership style. If leaders learned anything in the last two years, it’s that the world can change overnight, and needs (the needs of the company, the needs of employees, and even the needs of customers) will be re-evaluated.

A key tenet of empathetic leadership is to listen to employees and follow up regularly. Company leadership should check in with employees on projects, overall job satisfaction, and smaller elements of everyday work like the efficacy of digital tools or perhaps at-home working needs like technology.

Provide a consistent forum—perhaps a weekly questionnaire or a monthly one-on-one meeting with a manager—where employees can voice concerns and leaders can follow up about the implementation of solutions.

3. Provide tools for a more functional workplace

Whether your employees are in the office or working from home, they need tangible tools to succeed. Available internet access, a computer that can manage multiple tasks at once, and access to a video camera for videoconferencing are vital components of the remote workplace in 2023. However, it’s possible that some companies went overboard with workplace management tools and caused an unintentional notification overload for employees. With time management, communication, web conferencing, project management software, and industry-specific tech tools, employees may have too many systems to work with on a regular basis.

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Investing in functional digital tools is the practical side of empathetic leadership. Companies must invest in the best technology that will serve their employees, make work more enjoyable, and encourage efficiency. Of course, corporate learning and development is always my first thought when it comes to investing in the tools employees need to succeed. Employee training is an essential part of the employee experience and, when done correctly, can positively impact every aspect of the team’s experience.

These are the two underlying questions when choosing workplace tools:

“Does this digital tool make work more simple, straightforward, and functional for my employees?”

And also:

“Can this tool replace an existing, dysfunctional tool or process and facilitate a better employee experience?”

If so, it’s worth the investment.

4. Encourage upskilling and reskilling

If leaders have empathy for their employees, they understand that their team members have lives outside of the workplace and larger goals for their careers. This recognition is critical to an empathetic leadership style because it helps leaders understand the goal of employee engagement initiatives: to support the employee individually, not just as a cog in the corporate wheel.

Practically, companies can offer upskilling and reskilling courses so that employees can explore their careers in a new way or find an interest in another element of the industry. Upskilling initiatives show employees value by creating room for them to explore their interests within the workplace and plan for the future of their careers. It also helps companies boost retention because employees are more satisfied and successful at work.

Related post: 5 Employee Training Goals to Support Retention in 2022

5. Review and adjust processes regularly

The most important element of an empathetic leadership style is an openness to review and adjust strategies on a regular basis. As I said before, empathetic leadership isn’t a single step to a successful company. Instead, this leadership style requires multiple steps repeated over time and reassessed on a regular basis to ensure their efficacy. If empathetic leadership is anything, it is adaptable.

Know that certain initiatives will need to be adjusted or reevaluated, especially if they prove to be ineffective or to be causing frustration in the workplace. Leaders who embrace the fact that employees’ needs and interests are constantly shifting will be able to craft a leadership strategy that supports team members and company goals simultaneously.

In the next year, we will see more companies embrace this empathetic leadership style in practical ways. Keep an eye out.