Businessolver has released its 2024 State of Workplace Empathy Report, and it’s a doozy. The subheading is, “Pouring from an Empty Empathy Cup.”
The report notes that high interest rates and challenging market conditions mean that some leaders are having to make decisions that, even under the best of circumstances, can seem far from empathetic. This is taking a toll on them; Businessolver saw a 24-point jump in self-reported mental health issues among CEOs.
The report notes that “the most significant gaps we see in the data revolve around putting empathy into action. All audiences surveyed largely value empathy, yet the majority don’t experience it in their day-to-day interactions. In essence, empathy is in high demand but low on execution.”
Here are few other findings:
- 55% of CEOs and 50% of employees experienced a mental health issue in the past year
- 81% of CEOs, 72% of HR professionals, and 67% of employees believe that companies view someone with mental health issues as weak or a burden
- 52% of Gen Z say their workplace is toxic, and more than half of CEOs agree (up 10 points from last year)
- 85% of respondents say respecting the need for flexible work is an important demonstration of empathy, but only 42% say they’ve actually experienced it
- 63% of CEOs say that it’s hard to demonstrate empathy in their day-to-day (perhaps because 80% of them believe that being empathetic “means being nice to others all the time”)
Remember that empathy at work doesn’t mean we don’t hold people accountable or that we don’t care about outcomes. It’s about helping people feel heard, giving them support when they need it, and building trust through repeated actions that demonstrate respect, provide transparency, and follow through on promises. And of course, it’s really hard to do any of that if you aren’t taking care of yourself first.
Please reach out if you’d like to chat about any of these issues. I love to talk about them and would be happy to support you in any way I can. You can read the full report here.