I developed my system of empathic communication after 10 years of teaching empathy classes to college students. When I started offering empathy training in the business world, I had no idea what the results were going to look like.
Experience within the classroom showed me that it worked for the students, but the classroom was entirely different from a business or organization. Empathic communication seemed like something that needed to be shared, but would it translate from an academic to a professional setting?
I might have sat around making little edits and tweaks to the system forever if it hadn’t been for my first client, the Institute of Behavioral Research (IBR), a scientific unit specializing in areas of public concern. A colleague of mine mentioned my work to the IBR director, and he requested my help immediately.
IBR was experiencing many of the same problems that hit companies of all sizes and industries after Covid. The cycle went something like this:
- Workload slows down, uncertainty takes hold. Staff members leave. The gaps put additional pressure on remaining staff, creating tension.
- Workload picks back up, first slowly and then rapidly. To compensate, new staff is hired quickly without extensive time to onboard. Some are remote, some are in office.
- With the increase in staff and some not present in the workplace, communication breaks down across all levels of the organization.
- Rifts begins to appear, and some perceive unfair treatment. Staff members become frustrated and leave, resulting in a need to rehire and retrain.
- Leadership has to consider how to rebuild a sense of community and create a more positive workplace culture.
It was clear to me that the director was a strong leader who deeply cared about his staff. He worked tirelessly to bring everyone together and build a culture of trust and belonging. He organized social opportunities, made decisions thoughtfully, and kept an open-door policy for anyone who wanted to discuss concerns. However, he was managing an influx of new staff; there were too many changes that came too quickly.
Step 1: Culture Inventory
Since IBR is a research institute, and I am a researcher, the director and I were both eager to measure progress to see if the training would be effective. I started with a culture inventory, extensively interviewing seven employees in various positions across levels at the institute. I asked the following questions:
-What is the best part of working here?
-Do you feel your work is valued?
-Describe the level of trust that you experience among team members.
-Do you feel you can speak freely at work?
-How does IBR support professional development?
-How are decisions typically made within the organization?
-What is the process of feedback?
-What are the core values of IBR, and how are those values reflected in day-to-day operations?
-What are the challenges among the team?
-How would you describe the overall work culture here?
-In what ways could the workplace environment at IBR be improved?
The culture inventory revealed that IBR was experiencing typical post-Covid challenges: people wanting to work from home, lack of productivity, cross-generational misunderstandings related to professionalism, and a disconnect between veteran employees who revered the history and culture of the institute and new employees who had different ideas about how things should run.
Step 2: Survey
Next, I developed a survey that the director sent to all IBR employees. Employees rated these statements on a 1-5 scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree):
- My colleagues care about me.
- My colleagues listen to me.
- My colleagues and I work together as a team.
- My colleagues and I communicate effectively with one another.
- My colleagues value my ideas.
- The work environment allows me to do my best work.
- The work environment is positive.
- The work environment values relationships and is a culture of care
The statements were carefully chosen to allow us to focus on creating a positive, high-trust work environment which, in turn, would result in increased engagement and productivity. The average score of the initial survey across all categories was 3.65.
Step 3: Workshop
With that initial data in hand, we were ready for the two-day workshop. The workshop always works better in person rather than virtually or in a scaled-down format. I’ve done it each of these ways and find that getting everyone together in a room results in more impactful results. Often, I see people who don’t normally talk open up and make meaningful connections with their colleagues. The rapport created in those moments really goes far in bridging the gaps between people of different backgrounds.
The workshop might sound like the biggest component of the work, but it is really just the beginning. It’s a setting where people can learn the empathy-related skills; putting them to use day after day is another matter entirely.
During the week following the workshop, the director ran the survey again. Our second-round surveys averaged out to 3.95.
Step 4: Follow-Up
The next leg of the work involved coming in at regular, scheduled times to meet with staff and leadership and keep a pulse on how people were doing. Every day there are a million things going on, and sometimes something happens that somebody isn’t quite sure how to deal with. Maybe a coworker does something inconsiderate, or negative assumptions creep in and lead to gossip and ill will; it could be any number of things. Part of my continued work was to hear these stories and offer constructive suggestions using empathic communication.
I also held two mini workshops over the next three months. One workshop was for the purpose of team building, and the other was a mindfulness workshop. Though the mindfulness workshop was optional, nearly half the staff attended, a demonstration of the employees’ eagerness to grow personally and connect with one another.
Step 5: Final Survey
My work with IBR lasted 5 months in total and during that time I really got to know some of the people there well. Words can’t express the pride that comes from someone telling you that something you taught them has caused a significant shift in their job, their marriage, or the way they think about themselves. The IBR had some difficult challenges, but the director and the employees were all committed to growth and change. Everyone was eager for a better work environment, and collectively they decided to put in the work day after day.
The director ran a third survey three months after the two-day workshop, and our final average was 4.02.
I was happy with those numbers but I wanted to know how people felt. Asking the director for his thoughts on the past 5 months, he responded, “The results have been remarkable; we have seen a marked improvement in communication across all levels of the organization. There is a renewed sense of collaboration and trust, as well as evidence of stronger senior leadership emerging. Staff now takes greater ownership of their roles within the organization and exploring strategies to contribute to the success of the organization.”
I’m so impressed by IBR and how far they’ve come through hard work and commitment to creating a culture in which they experience greater trust and a sense of belonging. They are all amazing, and I’m honored to have been able to play a small role in their story of continued success.