It seems that almost every conversation these days is tenuous. People are hesitant to talk to each other about the most mundane subjects because they’re concerned about the potential reaction they’ll receive. This has led to people becoming more and more separated. The separation in turn leads to very slanted opinions and people dig their heels in on whatever is being bantered about.
The other week, I posted information on #stopasianhate to my personal Instagram, hoping to educate and elicit empathy among my peers. I was taken aback when a former classmate asked me to stop these posts because they made social media less “fun.” Instead of empathizing with my sorrow, he was asking that I empathize with his annoyance. What gives?
Why we choose not to empathize
Can you feel the change in the air? Spring is upon us and that’s exciting. With the change in seasons, there’s a renewed hope with everything budding and breaking through the ground. I can’t help but sense the energy around me lifting. I hope you sense it as well.
My name is Sophia, and I am so glad to be a newborn in 2021. These are some challenging times for all of us. Thoreau said, “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?”
We are clearly entering a new era. Coronavirus and infection are changing the way we live. Most of us are working from home, often alongside our children, who are remote learning from home. This new situation has no endpoint – we don’t know how long this will exist – and we are finding new ways to work productively,
Empathy is a platform for relationship, not encouragement to wallow in slime pits.
Solid relationships strengthen people.
Strong people perform better than weak.
On February 14, 2018, the world witnessed a tragedy that has become all too familiar, another school shooting. On a day that was supposed to be about love and peace, turned dark and cold for so many.
We dropped my oldest daughter off at a YMCA overnight camp for the week, this past Sunday. This is the second year she attended and, this time around, my anxiety levels are a little lower and I'm getting a little more sleep than last year. Not by much, but it's better. Even writing this post makes me a little anxious.
On May 31, @shrmnextchat chatted with special guest Jonathan Segal (@Jonathan_HR_Law) about Helping Employees with 'Option B'.
If you missed this informative chat, you can read all the tweets here:
We all know that employees do not leave their personal selves at the workplace door. The experiences we have outside of work inform who we are at work.
That is why we spend so much effort--or we should--on helping develop a culture that makes it easier for employees to manage work and life. But, there is one part of life that is often left out: death.
On October 19, @shrmnextchat chatted with special guest, SHRM Board Member and Executive Director of HR for LaRosa's Inc. Steve Browne, @sbrownehr about Empathy in the Workplace.
In case you missed this incredible chat filled with advice and insights on creating a more empathetic workplace, you can see all the tweets here:
We’ve all heard the expression “Never judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” It’s powerful. It’s thought-provoking.
Unfortunately, there’s a bit of confusion in our workplaces today as to who needs to be wearing the shoes, or if there needs to be any “shoe trading” at all.
