Biggest employer empathy failings

Supporting employees & showing you care during lockdown

Whilst initial lockdowns saw a positive response from managers looking to support their teams; it seems maintaining this level of empathy a full year later is, for some leaders, proving unsustainable. According to a recent survey by The Hub Events of over  1,100 UK employees working from home (WFH), 53% felt that their manager had become less empathetic during the most recent lockdown.

Employer's biggest empathy failings during lockdown

"52% of employees highlight managers not noticing signs of burnout. This suggests that not only is there a lot of burnout amongst staff at the moment, but it's not being noticed, let alone addressed. This could have huge implications for retention and productivity. It's therefore vital that managers bring more empathetic practices into their workplaces to counter this."

Christine Macdonald, Founder, The Hub Events

Macdonald added, "Working in a leadership role can be trying at the best of times, and it goes without saying that things are tough for everyone at the minute. Employees are struggling to maintain positivity and productivity with seemingly endless lockdowns, and after a year of living within the pandemic and having to manage entire teams from home, many managers are suffering themselves. It's telling that 23% of respondents said that their managers seemed fatigued or uninterested themselves. Before tackling empathy towards teams, show some to yourself first—if you're feeling better, you'll be better at tackling the problems of those around you."

Adjusting expectations
Macdonald noted that no one intends to adjust expectations but that it can be easy to lose sight of the employees you manage. She noted, "This goes double when everyone's working from home, and you end up seeing employees purely as a means to achieve company goals. Remember, your employees are people too with a lot on and adjust your expectations. You don't know what's going on at home. Employees may be struggling with depression, trying to care for children who aren't in school or even dealing with the loss of loved ones. Consider if you could be more lenient on goals and KPIs or include other performance factors that put less pressure on teams. A bit of give goes a long way right now."

Be aware of workloads
One of the biggest concerns for HR during COVID has been the lack of control. Macdonald noted, "As an individual, it's easy to feel powerless at the moment, and easy to feel like things are getting on top of us. This applies to work too. Keep an eye on your employee workloads and check in to make sure they're not drowning. Use tools like Harvest to help track teams. And remember, culture is such that many employees don't want to appear weak or unable to complete all their work. Lead from above—make it clear to employees that if they have too much on, to come and speak to you for solutions."

Ensure you stay healthy
It is easy for HR to neglect their own health, with so much going on externally in their teams right now. Macdonald explained, "Remember to try and eat well, get plenty of sleep and watch any habit, such as excessive drinking or poor eating, which can get out of hand during the pandemic. Control what you put into your body—it's a small and simple change, which will make you feel more positive at work. A refreshed manager is a better manager able to tackle more."

Pay attention to non-verbal cues
It is more important than ever to pay attention to body language, tone of voice and employees' expressions. Macdonald advised, "When you give employees a task, look at them and listen to them—beyond their response. An employee may agree to take on a task, but their body language, slumped shoulders, or a frown might suggest that they're unhappy about it. So, follow up—an HR manager with good empathy levels should immediately ask what is wrong."

Note behaviour changes
This can be tough over Zoom, but Macdonald suggests trying to note any changes in employee behaviours. She said, "Think. Do your employees seem like themselves during meetings? Did one employee, known for making jokes, suddenly stop saying anything? Has one employee stopped talking in the group chat? Does anyone overreact to stress in a way they never used to? All of these are signs that your employee is struggling. Put some time aside to have a private chat with them and see what's up and where you can support."

Reach out: ask if they're OK
Macdonald concluded, "This sounds obvious, but you'd be amazed how many managers rarely, if ever, ask their employees if they are OK. It's understandable—you have a business to run, and it can be hard to stop and check in with employees. But just a simple question—Are you OK?—can do wonders for making employees feel valued. Don't wait for PDPs and reviews to know this; check in with your teams now."