At iPondr, We’re In The Empathy Business

At iPondr, we’re in the Empathy business.

Empathy comes up a lot in these times of racial, economic and pandemic anguish. Empathy has also become a business buzzword, newly considered a must have characteristic for a high functioning workplace. This is part of a historic call to do better and be better as a society in an era of reckoning.

This pileup of challenges is having a huge impact on business, which is trying to emerge from COVID but facing a new and possibly even more calamitous prospect in the Great Resignation. Times are fraught and our social fabric is stretched as perhaps never before. The calculus seems to have shifted in favor of a more holistic and rewarding experience of work as a rewarding part of life, no matter the role.

Many who leave jobs, are taking a new job somewhere else. The race for talent is on.

This is where Empathy comes in.

Empathetic awareness causes businesses to consider the factors that might make their company an attractor of high-quality and diverse talent. Do team members feel a sense of belonging when they log in or walk in the door? Do they feel known beyond their job responsibilities and valued for their contributions beyond the transactional?

Empathy creates an environment where people feel they are valued, included and understood--which is not the same as always being in agreement. In fact, the feeling of inclusion in an empathetic work environment allows people to break from ‘groupthink’ to achieve greater innovation. Research has tied Empathy to business outcomes such as improved customer service, greater earnings and better retention of employees as well.

If you lead an enterprise, and you aren’t sure how to operationalize Empathy or build the Inclusive Workplace Culture that top talent is seeking, the first thing to know about it is that it’s a journey. iPondr@Work can help individuals and teams move forward in their Diversity Equity and Inclusion and Empathy journey.

Join us today.

This article is brought to you by iPondr@Work. Be sure to check out our website for more information on diversity in the workplace.