Why Compassion?
Since the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the world has never been in more urgent need of compassion. Many families have experienced the devastating effects of the virus through the loss of income or the loss of a loved one and the shock of being locked indoors, cut off from social interaction, has left many vulnerable to mental disorders. The harsh reality of the effects of the virus are familiar to us all, in the toll it has taken on the world economy. Those who were already in a vulnerable state before the onslaught of the virus, may be facing severe mental illness or in need of additional care.
In the workplace, mental illness is on the rise and the stress of the risk of job loss has caused untold damage on productivity and engagement levels. Those who have been faced with the challenge of working from home may also have had the added responsibility of having to home school. Although the vaccination process has brought hope, we will likely not see the actual affects of this in the immediate future.
What is Compassion?
Compassion comes from the Latin word, misericordia which means ‘co-suffering or together in misery’ We share in the suffering of others when we practice compassion. Practicing and expressing compassion has always been a part of almost all religious practices and it is more of an act than an emotion.
The Dalai Lama, one of the most respectable Buddhist preachers, stated that “individual acts of compassion and kindness have the power to spread harmony in the entire world” and Mother Teresa famously said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier”.
We saw compassion in action when we all witnessed the extraordinary fundraising achievement of the late Sir Tom Moore of the UK, last year. His determination to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday transformed him into a defining figure of England’s first national lockdown, making headlines and inspiring people from around the world to donate a total of nearly 33 million Pounds to the NHS.
One act of compassion, can clearly spur others on to be compassionate and kind and so, create a powerful domino effect.
True compassion involves elements of empathy, love, care, and a compassionate expression of understanding, aimed at alleviating the troubles of others or sharing them with the sufferer.
Compassion has three components:
- Understanding or empathizing with others and their problems.
- Loving and caring for others.
- Selflessly helping others in need.
Compassion at Work
Recent research and findings have recognized compassion to be an essential aspect of a productive work environment. Showing compassion to colleagues, superiors, or subordinates, are vital to ensuring job satisfaction and occupational motivation. In other words, without true compassion, a lack of engagement will ultimately ensue.
Since compassion is closely related to empathy and social responsibility in the framework of EQ (Emotional Quotient), it stands to reason that in order to increase our compassion, we need to focus on having more empathy for others. Being empathetic is the ability to put oneself in the shoes of another. Being able to understand their predicament and feel the emotion that they might be feeling, and feeling prompted to do something to help them.
8 Ways to Practice Compassion in the Workplace
- Start with yourself by maintaining a positive approach and a healthy self-regard.
- Be a great communicator. We cannot practice empathy if we are not communicating well. This means being honest and transparent with others and accepting their constructive feedback.
- Notice when others may be in emotional pain or undergoing difficulty and try to make them feel understood and comfortable at work.
- Be careful to express feedback in a way that does not cause emotional hurt to others.
- Actively listen to others without judging them.
- Be a source of encouragement to others where ever possible.
- Replace criticism with praise.
- Include at least one RAK (random act of kindness) into your daily routine. This could include a random donation, helping a colleague or giving of your time to someone in need of a friend.
Unless we learn to express compassion through our behaviours, the feeling cannot be accurately conveyed. Organizations may have tremendously gifted professionals who have vast amounts of experience in their field, but unless they greet others with respect, communicate with empathy, and are able to internalize their pain, they cannot and should not claim to be highly successful in their chosen fields.
We have all known the unsympathetic boss, the one who gets things done at the expense of others, who denies dissent in the ranks while claiming credit for the work of the team. These are the leaders that are void of compassion.
The Benefits of Compassion
The benefits of being compassionate at work are endless. A company will be more likely to be successful if it has employees and managers exhibiting the traits of compassion.
Having a compassionate workforce will help a company to establish a higher level of engagement, improved levels of retention, reduced stress and better overall wellbeing.
Those who are practicing compassion usually demonstrate better interpersonal skills and stronger relationships which ultimately translate to a better working environment.
We can all learn to be a little more compassionate than we likely already are. Being compassionate is about being less selfish – something we all have to remind ourselves, occasionally. If we could foster a world where compassion is the dominating human emotion, what a planet this would be!
What is your level of compassion? If you are wanting to practice a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) now, then follow this link to donate to a worthy cause. Donate Now
