What we’ve learned so far.
In part I of this blog, we talked about why Businessolver began commissioning research on workplace empathy back in 2016. As we prepare to release the results of our fourth annual State of Workplace Empathy Study later this month, we’d like to use part II of this blog to focus on what we’ve learned so far and how we’ve shared it with the larger HR community.
2016 Findings
That first year of research was eye-opening, to say the least. After surveying more than 1,000 leaders, HR professionals, and employees, we learned that:
Among our conclusions that year, we identified the five most important behaviors organizations must demonstrate to be considered empathetic by their employees. We also highlighted how applying empathetic design to technology can help move people outside their comfort zone and have a more rewarding experience.
2017 Findings
In our second year, we doubled the size of the study to more than 2,000 CEOs, industry leaders, HR professionals and employees around the United States in a variety of industries including education, healthcare, technology, manufacturing, financial services, and government. That year we learned that:
As interest in the topic of workplace empathy grew within the HR community, Businessolver produced five thought-leadership publications, including a white paper, two infographics, an e-book, and a webinar to help create awareness and educate the broader market about this critical workplace value.
2018 Findings
In our third year, we retained most of the questions from previous surveys, but added some new ones to help us understand more about the connection between workplace empathy and diversity, technology, and business performance. We learned that:
With three years of data to draw upon, the 2018 report included a section called “The Empathy Manifesto.” By outlining 10 clear action items, we aimed to help leaders use workplace empathy to create more productive, cohesive, profitable organizations. Our 2018 infographics highlighted our new findings on the business case for empathy, how empathy affects different generations, and how artificial intelligence and empathy can co-exist. A new addition to our empathy content was the Empathy Index — a tool organizations and HR professionals could use internally to get a better understanding of how their employees felt about empathy. Check out all our 2018 empathy content here.
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