Three Workplace Trends Requiring More Compassion
Does your workplace design incorporate compassion?
I am often asked how compassion, empathy and sympathy are delineated. Here are the working definitions used as a framework while surveying new research related to compassion and how to better integrate self-compassion and compassion into the world of work:
Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distresses together with a desire to prevent or to alleviate it
Empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
Sympathy: feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune
Some of this evidence points to practicing compassion (beyond sympathy and empathy) reduces stress, improves productivity and enhances the ability to create meaningful relationships. I recently had the chance to interview Karlin Sloan about the role of compassion in leadership. She is the CEO of Sloan Group International, a global leadership development consultancy with offices in the USA, Australia and India. Her insights offer the business case for embracing compassion.