Empathy leads to effective collaboration, increased morale, reduced stress, more effective feedback, and a more inclusive attitude.
This is the big message of a recent report by Philippine business newspaper BusinessWorld. They also acknowledged TaskUs's efforts to imbibe a culture of compassion and empathy among their employees. The report said, "TaskUs, a business process outsourcing company, has been working towards fostering an environment of trust through its creation of a wellness and resilience team (separate from human resources). It has also incorporated vulnerability as part of its leadership training."
“We ask our leaders to share with their team the struggles they face and the emotions they experience,” Vina D. Paglicawan, TaskUs Director of Wellness & Resiliency, told BusinessWorld. “In turn, we see employees become more trusting and willing to take greater risks and ask for help when needed.”
Paglicawan is referring to TaskUs’s regular leadership training focused on the benefits of vulnerability. Leaders are taught to foster self-discovery and self-awareness, encouraging them to reflect on and share stories about how they are demonstrating—or how they intend to demonstrate—vulnerability. This, in turn, creates a culture of openness and trust among employees.
TaskUs has also developed a 40-hour live training program called P.E.A.C.E. (Protect, Educate, Aid Colleagues Everywhere). Here, employees learn topics related to health and wellness. It aims to decrease stigma, provide healthy communication, and elevate employees’ emotional intelligence.
All these are done to promote empathy and compassion. It is important for leaders to accept that people cope differently, to suspend their judgment of others, and to be generous with their interpretations of others’ actions and choices. In effect, team members feel understood, valued, and appreciated.
Read the article: BusinessWorld: For a thriving workplace, build empathy -- author
