‘Gratitude and Empathy’ have been the subject of numerous research. These two attributes are emphasized in most of the religious texts. Research indicates that gratitude can support various positive life outcomes, such as general well-being, life satisfaction, and physical health. Also, study reveals gratitude is not limited to supporting positive effects in individual lives, but can impact social relationships as well.
While we pursue our personal and professional goals, it is critical that we enjoy the natural world around us, our friends and family, our coworkers, and everything else that brightens our days and makes us feel fortunate to be alive.
While developing an interpersonal gratitude level, studies have found that empathy has been positively associated with feelings of gratitude.
While developing an interpersonal gratitude level, studies have found that empathy has been positively associated with feelings of gratitude.
“Filling your bucket” is a concept used to teach little ones how to be grateful and empathetic. In the year 1960 American psychologist Dr. Donald O. Clifton first wrote the “Dipper and Bucket” story.
Often used in schools, these books are based on the concept that we all carry around invisible buckets of which we can fill with happy things or sad things. These buckets represent our mental and emotional selves. We can fill or empty our own buckets or the buckets of those around us. If we are bucket-fillers, we cheer people on and raise them up. If we are bucket-dippers, we take away happiness from the buckets of others.
Empathy has always proven to be quite beneficial in problem solving, in my opinion and also throughout my career. As team leaders, we frequently run into issues with our teammates and stakeholders. Though we all have different leadership styles that work for us, empathetic problem solving is the ability to truly comprehend and feel the perspectives of others in a conflict situation. Empathy isn’t just about what we do to solve an issue; it’s also about what we don’t do.
Empathy has a direct impact on employee productivity, loyalty, and engagement, according to Businessolver’s 2017 Workplace Empathy Monitor research. Empathy’s value in the workplace cannot be undermined. In reality, a culture of compassion and understanding is a common thread among the best places to work. Gratitude can also help to improve company culture. Gratitude, expressed via appreciation, can help to rejuvenate the workplace.
The risk of a poor work environment is considerable when gratitude and empathy are lacking at work. When a poor work environment is allowed to develop, it can start to influence everyone. Let’s look at how negativity influences several aspects of the workplace:
Communication: In a negative workplace environment, communication goes down. Staff members have either had confrontations with one another over issues involving negative communication or have stopped communicating with one another because negativity leads to a lack of trust. The company’s communication suffers as a result.
Teamwork: Strong teamwork creates a productive workplace and encourages the exchange of information among staff members. Negativity in the workplace can cause experienced employees to look down on new hires and refuse to offer any assistance in employee development. Gossip and misinformation can permeate a negative workplace and cause the team to fracture into smaller groups that are not able to provide the results the company needs.
Proactive attitude and Creativity at workplace: Negativity in the workplace has an impact on employees’ proactive attitudes and suffocates creativity. When pessimism pervades the workplace, people prefer to stick to tried-and-true ways, and fear of failure stifles creativity. A gloomy environment suppresses the feelings of creativity and invention that might aid a corporation in developing more efficient business practices. People do not feel compelled to share their ideas with one another, and the company stagnates.
Employee Motivation: Negativity can allow a feeling of mistrust or a lack of confidence in management. Employees may no longer buy into the Company’s objectives and may lose motivation. Morale may drop and a feeling can persist that progress in the company is no longer worthwhile and employees begin to lose interest in developing their skill set. A demotivated workforce gives your competition the chance to take the lead in market share and costs Company’s revenue.
From the top down, leadership must set an example by fostering and cherishing the virtues such as “Gratitude and Empathy” in the workplace.
‘Gratitude and Empathy’ has never been more important than it is now, especially in these trying times of Pandemic. We had no choice but to work from home during the Covid-19 crisis. Adversity brings with it obstacles, but it also brings with it a plethora of opportunity. We’ve done a good job of adapting to the situation so far, and work-life balance is taking on new meanings as hybrid work cultures become more common than predicted. Many new work cultures are sprouting up. Belgium has just begun to offer employees the option of working a four-day week. Many governments and businesses have begun to test this concept, which is steadily gaining traction. Many experts believe that this will boost work satisfaction levels along with productivity. We’ll have to wait and watch how this develops over time. Let us embrace the new age of work culture while remembering the golden principles of ‘Gratitude and Empathy.’
Courtesy: Written by our CEO and Published in NHRD publication (Newsletter issue 63, April 2022)