Empathy In The Workplace

Humans have a strong desire to be understood and cared for. Whether that care come from words, gestures or actions, our innate drive for community brings each one of us closer to one another. There are a variety of caring methods that a human can use when forming a relationship with the feelings of another person. However, empathy and sympathy are the most well known. Empathy is the ability to view the situation from the perspective of the individual experiencing it (Jakubec & Astle, 2014, p.254). It is also the ability to communicate that understanding (p. 254). Empathy however is not the same as sympathy, which is often portrayed as feelings of pity or sorrow through identifying with the person (p. 257). Empathy, by far, is the most genuine

Often an individual will remain where they are comfortable and where they fit in, which is often called the ‘comfort zone’ (Brown, 2008, p. 3). The comfort zone is where an individual will stay if they are too afraid to experience anything new or change anything about their life. It is often a defense mechanism because sometimes an individual will see change as a threat and start to panic (p. 4). I certainly did when I was 14 years old. In 2014 I found out that I was moving to a new country. In 2014 my entire family immigrated to Canada from Ireland. Removed from my comfort zone, it took me a very long time to integrate myself into the Canadian lifestyle and finally feel as if I fit in. However, some immigrants never feel like they belong, even when they have been living elsewhere for almost their entire life. In high school I befriended an English immigrant who had been living in Canada since he was 6 years old. For retelling this event, I will refer to them as Michael. Though only living in England for his very early years, Michael lived in a disjointed state, and would often break down in tears because he felt like an outsider. Immediately I identified with the emotions that Michael was experiencing, because I indeed had experienced them before. In addition to expressing my empathy and understanding, I listened to him. The goal of empathic listening is to aid the speaker (Adler et al., 2015, p. 205). I ensured Michael that what he was experiencing was valid, and that I could empathize with his situation. I prompted Michael to tell me more about his emotions and how he had dealt with them in the past. Prompting the individual to reveal their emotions is a vital part of empathic listening, and aides the individual to find a path to solve their own problem (p. 200). Instead of telling Michael my story and my point of view, I refrained, because I was not the individual hurting (p.