4 Tips for Creating a Compassionate Workplace

After all, you’re spending hours and hours working each week. With as much time and energy as you devote to your company, your workplace environment is understandably influential.

But compassion isn’t inherent to everyone or every workplace. Some companies do a better job than others because they take steps to prioritize it. If you want to create a more compassionate culture at your workplace, here are a few ways to get started.

1. Encourage Coworkers to Support One Another

At work, you’re likely interacting with many different people each day. Those on your team, potentially customers or clients, and other stakeholders to name a few. And it’s easy to get too focused on work, trying to be as productive as possible. When that happens, though, it’s also easy to overlook when coworkers need your support.

That’s why companies should encourage coworkers to have an all-in approach to caring for one another. If someone is going through a tough time — personally or professionally — rally behind them. Encourage your team to create a meal train, sign a thoughtful card, or explore get well soon gift ideas to brighten their day. These group efforts reinforce a culture of support and encouragement, bringing the team together.

When it comes to these efforts, anything is better than nothing, so find ways to infuse care into daily practices. Kind messages, genuine thank yous, and smiling in the office can all make a difference. While getting results and driving business is important, so is having compassion for others you work with. Finding a balance between the two creates a culture people want to be a part of. And that can be a great motivator to work harder for each other.

2. Guide Leadership

The leaders within your team guide the tone of your workplace. If they’re empathetic and compassionate toward the rest of the team, that becomes the standard. If they’re not, the same logic applies. So, investing in creating compassionate leaders is a crucial step to having an overall compassionate workplace culture.

This can be accomplished in a few ways. You can have sensitivity training in leadership summits or share online resources covering empathy. You could also incorporate culture into your company’s overall goals. Explicitly write out the aspirations you have for the company’s culture and how people feel at work. Hold your leaders to a high standard of compassion, empathy, and kindness as part of their performance reviews.

It’s also important to hire leaders who naturally possess compassionate traits. Thoughtfulness, selflessness, and overall support for others are all traits to look for when hiring. Instruct hiring teams to factor these characteristics into their practices, and you’ll be one step closer to the culture you want.

3. Don’t Be Strictly Business

Your workplace is filled with employees aiming to do their part contributing to the success of the business. They each have a defined role and responsibilities they own. But if you only speak about tasks and deadlines, you’re missing opportunities for compassion. That’s why checking in with coworkers about how they’re doing in general is key.

A great approach to this practice is having regular one-on-one meetings. Ask about how they’re doing before diving into questions or issues with work items. This is most effective if you ask genuinely and with your full attention given. This approach allows the employee to highlight anything that may be troubling them, knowing you truly care.

If getting them to open up proves challenging, focus on speaking about you. Highlight your dedication to being there for your team members instead. Remind them that they can share as much as they’re comfortable with if something is going on. This at least plants the seed that you care about them as people versus simply as employees. And that exudes compassion.

4. Weave Compassion into Benefits

Some people prefer to be in the driver’s seat when they’re experiencing challenging times. They can privately deal with their business without venting to or sharing with others. Doing so is much easier when working at a company with benefits that keep compassion top of mind.

When it’s time to review what your company offers, prioritize advocating for resources that help employees in several ways. Mental health app subscriptions, coverage for therapy, and stress management tools and strategies can all be beneficial. That’s because they normalize the need for employees to seek out help instead of trying to bury their troubles. Even if you’re not in a position to drive benefits directly, be vocal about how important these offerings are. A small idea can grow into something much bigger and better; you just have to start it.

Don’t stop with simply offering these benefits, though. Talk about them and share stories of their impact with your team. Advocate for employees to put these resources to use and keep an open door policy for if they need more help. In doing so, you’re creating a culture that lets people come to work as their whole selves. So, it doesn’t matter if they’re thriving or going through it — you and your company care just the same.

A Closer, More Compassionate Company

A commitment to compassion at work takes effort and planning. You have to be dedicated to feeding a culture that you’re proud of. Otherwise, it’ll fall to the wayside, leaving room for bad, less positive experiences to rise to the top. Despite the work, your investment doesn’t go unnoticed by your team. And that can help make the hours spent working that much more enjoyable.