Conscious Empathy

“𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡-𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙗𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩.”

Research reports from Pew Research Center, McKinsey & Company, and MIT Sloan Management determined that 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.

Dr. Kristie Rogers, a researcher and professor of management at Marquette School of Business  says that there are two forms of respect, and both are important to employees’ sense of being valued and recognized.

𝙊𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 is given equally to all members of a company, regardless of level or hierarchy, as a sign of dignity and civility. Each individual that contributes to the organization is inherently valuable.

𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 acknowledges employees who have exceeded performance expectations. It recognizes individual talents, efforts, and strengths, that provide contributions beyond the ordinary for organizational success.

In new working contexts of hybrid and fully remote work, employees have less ways to communicate if they perceive they are, or how they would like to be, respected and appreciated.

Qualitative research conducted by Dr. Rogers and Beth Schinoff, a professor of management and organization at Boston College Carroll School of Management discovered four types of behaviors most meaningful to managers and employees.  

They recommend four concrete actions for managers to show respect differently in the future of work:

𝟭.   𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁

𝟮.   𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁

𝟯.   𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁

𝟰.   𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁

As employees seek more virtual work and teams are geographically distant, new ways of showing signals and cues of respect require creativity and greater communication efforts.

How you show respect consciously and clearly effects whether employees will “quietly quit” or leave the organization.

Regardless of your title, in what way would you like to be shown respect at work?

In what ways do you think you could show more respect to others?