Understanding the Importance of Empathy During Performance Management 

For employers like you, effectively managing and monitoring employee performance is key to ongoing success and growth. Performance management isn’t just about looking over employees’ shoulders and ensuring they do their jobs productively. Inserting empathy into these processes can open up valuable opportunities for you to provide guidance and opportunities, build stronger employee-employer relationships and help staff fulfill their potential.

What is Empathy?

Empathy refers to one’s ability to understand another person’s feelings and point of view. An empathetic manager might be particularly adept at putting themselves in their employees’ shoes and seeing things from their perspectives. Cultivating empathy within your organization’s culture can help improve cooperation and camaraderie, potentially equipping employees with the comfort to express ideas and introduce innovation.

How Can Empathy Help With Performance Management?

Performance management should not considered as simply a means of determining if employees are fulfilling responsibilities and completing tasks. When delivered with empathy, both positive and negative feedback during regular (e.g., annual or quarterly) reviews can offer opportunities to provide valuable input and guidance toward career advancement and other improvements. Even things not entirely related to an employee’s duties, such as giving advice or reassurance regarding work-life balance or pointing them toward additional resources, can be examples of the value of empathy during these processes.

By being empathetic during performance reviews and management, your business may also garner monetary advantages. Cultivating internal talent, having employees cross-trained across various skill sets and promoting from within can all be valuable for your business’s long-term future. Conversely, terminating an employee and searching for, interviewing, hiring and onboarding someone new can prove particularly costly.

Additionally, while not directly related to performance management, empathetic relationships between employees and their managers may also help cultivate a safe and healthy work environment that may limit issues and distractions and improve productivity. For example, empathy can encourage employees to report harassment, bullying and other issues they may experience or observe, as they may feel more confident that their concerns will be taken seriously and handled appropriately.

We’re Here to Help

Managing employees’ performances can be a complicated but essential part of operating a business. Understanding the importance of empathy during these processes and implementing it as a cornerstone of your company culture may prove invaluable. Contact Lyceum Insurance Services today to learn more about this topic and other ways to improve your workplace.

This blog is intended for informational and educational use only. It is not exhaustive and should not be construed as legal advice. Please contact your insurance professional for further information.