Why There Needs to be More Compassion in the Workplace
Hi, I’m Shauna K.
I know you’ve got something down on the inside of you, and my whole life’s mission is to join along with you as you share your God-given uniqueness with your section of the world. It’s time for you to stand out.
In the hustle and bustle of the corporate grind, it’s easy to reduce everything to metrics, KPIs, and bottom lines. Work is work, the company is the company, and the machine keeps churning, right? But, let me challenge this notion with a conversation I had recently. Someone told me that work is just work, and companies should not be responsible for the individuals within them. They argued that each person is responsible for themselves, working purely for financial gain because, well, bills need to be paid.
This perspective is not uncommon. After all, we live in a society where financial obligations drive our daily grind. In a world where work is a fundamental part of human existence, the idea that work and personal development are separable is, frankly, absurd. With a bit more thought, we can see that work and human development are intrinsically linked and need to be intertwined, not rationalized apart.
Shouldn’t the place where we spend 7 to 10 hours a day, 40 to 60 hours a week, and roughly 2,080 hours per year take responsibility for more than just our financial wellbeing? After all, what does an unwell employee bring to the table for the company? In 2024, we know that wellness is unattainable without considering every aspect of human development. Financial, emotional, spiritual, physical, purposeful, meaningful, and environmental factors all play a role in our daily lives.
So, where does compassion from the company come into play?
Whether or not you agree that wellness should be a natural part of the corporate-employee relationship, you can’t deny that humans are the foundation of any company. A mission statement without people to drive it has no mission at all. A vision without people to uphold it will never materialize. And a brand without people to embody its core values will not achieve anything of value. Let me illustrate this for you:
Every company has an audience. This audience comprises buyers or potential buyers, whether you’re selling a product or service, B2B, B2C, or C2C. The common thread in business is that people are required to sell to people. Large corporations employ entire brand divisions and marketing agencies to craft messaging that resonates with their audience. Smaller companies and solopreneurs create their strategies based on what they can glean from internet gurus, maximizing their limited budgets to foster conversations with their target market. Without this human element, there is no company, no sales, no purpose, no meaning.
On a larger scale, if companies view their employees merely as positions to be filled, they lose sight of the human capital that drives their success. No people, no products, no work, no profit. If the people occupying roles weren’t there, those roles themselves would lack the power to execute necessary tasks, ultimately stalling the company’s revenue generation and impact.
A company without a solid mission, vision, and brand is ill-equipped to serve its audience effectively. This creates a gap in their ability to make an impact. So, when it comes to company culture, what makes the most sense? Prioritize the humans who fill the roles that create opportunities for both income and impact. Deprioritizing human capital creates a void that no amount of automation can fill.
It isn’t just the company’s burden but its responsibility to prioritize humans, not positions. If an employee is having a bad day, their position suffers. If they can’t meet their intrinsic needs, the position suffers. Sure, you could fire the employee, but their replacement will come with their own set of challenges and needs. Employees are not merely their positions. These roles are opportunities for them to flex their skills, talents, and natural inclinations within a framework that benefits the larger company. But these roles need to be filled with the brilliance of the individual. So why wouldn’t it be the company’s responsibility to cultivate that brilliance?
Why leave the development of your human capital to their spare time, which is already stretched thin by other responsibilities? While we don’t have enough time here to delve into all the nuances, suffice it to say that a plethora of compassion for your employees is a minimum necessity. When you accept a leadership role, you become a counselor. If you don’t want to be a counselor, you don’t want to be a leader. This doesn’t mean you need all the answers but that you must lead with compassion, understanding the unique aspects of each individual.
Know their names, understand what drives them, grasp why they’re there, and appreciate the intricacies of their personalities. This helps you harness their strengths in a way that promotes their growth and better serves the company. This might be countercultural in the corporate world, but prioritizing people is essential for any industry’s survival and success.
If we neglect the human capital that forms our workforce, we lose sight of what makes our businesses thrive. For a quick way to show more compassion, start with basic human decency: watch out for your employees, understand their needs, and support their growth.
By doing this, you’re not only cultivating a more robust workforce but also ensuring your company’s longevity and success. After all, they are not what you do; they are the reason you can do it.
© 2024 Shauna K. Henson | @shaunakhenson | Corporate Culture Consulting
In the hustle and bustle of the corporate grind, it’s easy to reduce everything to metrics, KPIs, and bottom lines. Work is work, the company is the company, and the machine keeps churning, right? But, let me challenge this notion with a conversation I had recently. Someone told me that work is just work, and companies should not be responsible for the individuals within them. They argued that each person is responsible for themselves, working purely for financial gain because, well, bills need to be paid.
This perspective is not uncommon. After all, we live in a society where financial obligations drive our daily grind. In a world where work is a fundamental part of human existence, the idea that work and personal development are separable is, frankly, absurd. With a bit more thought, we can see that work and human development are intrinsically linked and need to be intertwined, not rationalized apart.
Shouldn’t the place where we spend 7 to 10 hours a day, 40 to 60 hours a week, and roughly 2,080 hours per year take responsibility for more than just our financial wellbeing? After all, what does an unwell employee bring to the table for the company? In 2024, we know that wellness is unattainable without considering every aspect of human development. Financial, emotional, spiritual, physical, purposeful, meaningful, and environmental factors all play a role in our daily lives.
So, where does compassion from the company come into play?
Whether or not you agree that wellness should be a natural part of the corporate-employee relationship, you can’t deny that humans are the foundation of any company. A mission statement without people to drive it has no mission at all. A vision without people to uphold it will never materialize. And a brand without people to embody its core values will not achieve anything of value. Let me illustrate this for you:
Every company has an audience. This audience comprises buyers or potential buyers, whether you’re selling a product or service, B2B, B2C, or C2C. The common thread in business is that people are required to sell to people. Large corporations employ entire brand divisions and marketing agencies to craft messaging that resonates with their audience. Smaller companies and solopreneurs create their strategies based on what they can glean from internet gurus, maximizing their limited budgets to foster conversations with their target market. Without this human element, there is no company, no sales, no purpose, no meaning.
On a larger scale, if companies view their employees merely as positions to be filled, they lose sight of the human capital that drives their success. No people, no products, no work, no profit. If the people occupying roles weren’t there, those roles themselves would lack the power to execute necessary tasks, ultimately stalling the company’s revenue generation and impact.
A company without a solid mission, vision, and brand is ill-equipped to serve its audience effectively. This creates a gap in their ability to make an impact. So, when it comes to company culture, what makes the most sense? Prioritize the humans who fill the roles that create opportunities for both income and impact. Deprioritizing human capital creates a void that no amount of automation can fill.
It isn’t just the company’s burden but its responsibility to prioritize humans, not positions. If an employee is having a bad day, their position suffers. If they can’t meet their intrinsic needs, the position suffers. Sure, you could fire the employee, but their replacement will come with their own set of challenges and needs. Employees are not merely their positions. These roles are opportunities for them to flex their skills, talents, and natural inclinations within a framework that benefits the larger company. But these roles need to be filled with the brilliance of the individual. So why wouldn’t it be the company’s responsibility to cultivate that brilliance?
Why leave the development of your human capital to their spare time, which is already stretched thin by other responsibilities? While we don’t have enough time here to delve into all the nuances, suffice it to say that a plethora of compassion for your employees is a minimum necessity. When you accept a leadership role, you become a counselor. If you don’t want to be a counselor, you don’t want to be a leader. This doesn’t mean you need all the answers but that you must lead with compassion, understanding the unique aspects of each individual.
Know their names, understand what drives them, grasp why they’re there, and appreciate the intricacies of their personalities. This helps you harness their strengths in a way that promotes their growth and better serves the company. This might be countercultural in the corporate world, but prioritizing people is essential for any industry’s survival and success.
If we neglect the human capital that forms our workforce, we lose sight of what makes our businesses thrive. For a quick way to show more compassion, start with basic human decency: watch out for your employees, understand their needs, and support their growth.
By doing this, you’re not only cultivating a more robust workforce but also ensuring your company’s longevity and success. After all, they are not what you do; they are the reason you can do it.
© 2024 Shauna K. Henson | @shaunakhenson | Corporate Culture Consulting
Hi, I’m Shauna K.
I know you’ve got something down on the inside of you, and my whole life’s mission is to join along with you as you share your God-given uniqueness with your section of the world. It’s time for you to stand out.
