Building a Culture of Workplace Empathy: 10 Things Your Leaders Should Know

Empathy is a critical leadership skill that transforms workplace culture — but how can you educate leaders to show more empathy at work?

For HR professionals, the idea of workplace empathy isn’t new. You know it is essential to creating a space where employees feel seen, valued, and supported. But educating leaders on the importance of empathy in the workplace is often another story. With their current workload and levels of burnout, it can be hard to get some managers to connect with others and lead with compassion – and managing the level of empathy in the organization can be challenging for HR.

However, the effort to build and maintain an empathetic work environment, with effective communication and emotional empathy, is well worth it for driving organizational success. Research has made the return on investment clear: Organizations with empathetic leaders experience higher engagement, lower burnout, and improved collaboration. 

At Workhuman Live, empathy is a recurring theme woven into the fabric of the event. It’s definitely a topic you’ll see in many session titles, but it’s also embedded in the mission of the conference and shines through every keynote, panel, and workshop. 

Workhuman Live speakers continuously remind us that empathy is critical to making work human. In this article, let’s dive into some of the actionable ways HR professionals can educate leaders on empathy and build a culture of compassion that benefits everyone, as speakers and attendees have shared with us at Workhuman Live. 

What is empathy, and why does it matter in the workplace?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings. As Workhuman Live speaker Brené Brown has said, “Empathy is connecting to the emotions that underpin an experience.” 

In the workplace, empathy fosters trust, strengthens collaboration, and builds psychological safety. When leaders take the time to understand and share the feelings of their employees, the ripple effects reach every corner of the organization.

Hamza Khan, a Workhuman Live 2025 speaker, underscores this idea perfectly: “A lack of empathy breeds misunderstanding and mistrust, which can diminish productivity and happiness.” Empathy is about action and intention.

By integrating empathy into leadership, organizations can:

• Build stronger relationships between employees and managers
• Reduce burnout and turnover by creating a culture where employees feel seen and supported
• Drive innovation and adaptability by fostering psychological safety and collaboration

This is a red thread that runs through every keynote, panel, and workshop at Workhuman Live: Empathy is at the core of what makes workplaces more human. Far from a soft skill, empathy is a leadership imperative for today’s workplace.

What empathy isn’t

We should also clarify what empathy is not. Empathy doesn’t mean always agreeing with someone, nor does it mean losing objectivity or compromising your role as a leader.

As Workhuman Live alum and 2025 keynote speaker Adam Grant has written, “Empathy does not mean agreement. You can empathize with someone else’s feelings, even if you disagree with those feelings.” Empathy is about understanding another person’s emotions and perspective – not endorsing every action or idea.

Here are some common misconceptions about empathy in the workplace:

1. Empathy isn’t about fixing
   Sometimes, leaders think they need to solve every problem when an employee shares a concern. Empathy isn’t about jumping to solutions; it’s about acknowledging emotions and creating space for someone to feel heard.  
   
2. Empathy isn’t about agreement
   You don’t have to agree with an employee’s perspective to validate their emotions. Disagreeing respectfully while showing understanding builds trust and strengthens relationships.  
   
3. Empathy isn’t weakness
   Some leaders fear that showing empathy might make them appear less authoritative. In reality, empathy strengthens leadership by fostering trust and collaboration. Employees are more likely to respect leaders who show care and understanding.
   
4. Empathy isn’t indulgence
   Empathy doesn’t mean allowing poor behavior or making exceptions that compromise fairness. It’s more focused on creating a foundation of trust and understanding while holding employees accountable. 

How can you best practice empathy?

Psychologists Daniel Goleman and Paul Ekman have broken down the concept of empathy into three categories: 

• Cognitive empathy: The ability to understand someone else’s perspective. Leaders with cognitive empathy actively seek to understand what their employees are going through and why, which helps them make informed and fair decisions.
  
• Affective empathy: The ability to feel what someone else feels. This emotional connection fosters trust and deepens relationships, making employees feel valued and supported.
  
• Compassionate empathy: The ability to take action based on understanding and feeling someone else’s emotions. This form of empathy ensures leaders move beyond understanding and actively work to address challenges employees face.

Connecting with employees allows leaders to respond to challenges with compassion and understanding, strengthening the overall organizational culture. By embracing all three types of empathy, leaders create a workplace where employees feel heard, understood, and valued.

Why do empathy and compassion matter so much in leadership?

Empathy and compassion are more than “nice-to-haves” for leaders. They’re essential skills that define the difference between a transactional workplace and one that’s truly human-centered. 

Recent research reinforces this point:

• Empathy drives retention: 77% of employees in the Businessolver 2024 State of Workplace Empathy Report said they’d be willing to work longer hours for a more empathetic employer, and 60% would take a pay cut to work for one.
  
• Empathy improves performance: According to EY’s 2023 Empathy in Business Survey, 85% of employees say empathy improves workplace performance, while 88% agree that empathetic leadership fosters loyalty. 
  
• Empathy promotes innovation: McKinsey research on empathy highlights that empathetic leadership unlocks creativity and helps organizations adapt to challenges more effectively. 

Leaders who prioritize empathy are contributing to systemic changes that enhance trust, performance, and organizational culture.

At Workhuman Live, this theme of human-centered leadership is ever-present – which we can certainly promise will also be true in 2025. Trevor Noah, a keynote speaker at our conference this May in Denver, has often spoken from his own experience about empathy as an essential skill for navigating a complex world. We look forward to seeing his perspective on the future of work.

10 ways to educate leaders on how to better connect 

As most HR leaders know all too well, empathy isn’t an innate skill for everyone. Sometimes, leaders and executives need guidance to understand its value and how to apply it effectively in their interactions. 

Here are eight actionable insights, drawn from some of the lessons we’ve taken from Workhuman Live, that HR professionals can use to help leaders foster greater empathy and build stronger connections:

1. Teach leaders to listen actively
   Active listening is the foundation of empathy. Encourage leaders to focus on understanding rather than simply responding.

• Tips: Avoid interrupting, ask open-ended questions, and validate what employees share.
• For example: A leader might say, “I hear that you’re feeling overwhelmed. Let’s talk about what support you need.”
  

2. Highlight the ROI of empathy to leadership
   Empathy is a smart business strategy. Share data – like the fact that Businessolver’s report found 77% of employees say they’d work longer hours for an empathetic employer –  to demonstrate how empathy directly impacts engagement and retention.
   
3. Create opportunities to recognize and share gratitude
   Leaders rarely receive recognition themselves, so helping them to experience recognition can be a powerful way of demonstrating the impact of both recognition and empathy. At Workhuman Live, we emphasize that recognition isn’t just for individual contributors. It’s for everyone. By creating a culture where leaders also feel seen and appreciated, you foster empathy, connection, and a deeper sense of purpose at every level of the organization.
   

4. Share stories from Workhuman Live
   Real-life examples can inspire and motivate leaders to embrace empathy. When you come to Workhuman Live you’ll always leave with stories to share with leaders back home. Here are just a few examples, from 2019, when Workhuman Live speaker Viola Davis shared powerful messages about “standing in the gap” for others, and George Clooney emphasized the transformative impact of advocating for those in need.
   
5. Provide emotional intelligence (EQ) training
   Equip leaders with tools to recognize and regulate their own emotions while understanding the feelings of others. EQ is a critical skill that enhances communication and strengthens leadership.
   
6. Model empathy at the leadership level
   HR professionals and senior leaders should always lead by example, demonstrating empathy in their decisions and interactions. Leaders are more likely to adopt empathetic behaviors when they see them modeled consistently.
   
7. Foster a community of empathy
   Encourage leaders to learn from each other and from external communities with peers like the networking opportunities at Workhuman Live. Peer discussions and collaborative learning can provide fresh perspectives and practical tips for leading with empathy.
   
8. Equip leaders with the right tools and resources
   Finally, provide concrete tools to help leaders improve their empathy skills, drawing from your own LMS or webinars, reports, and resources like we provide at Workhuman, such as:

• Conversation guides for navigating tough discussions
• Workshops on active listening and communication
• Tools for managing emotional resilience during challenging times
  

9. Bring your leaders – and your whole team – to Workhuman Live
   The best way to inspire empathetic leadership is through shared learning and transformative experiences. Workhuman Live is the ideal setting to immerse leaders – and entire teams – in the principles of human-centered leadership. When leaders attend Workhuman Live as a group, the learning doesn’t stop at the conference. The shared experience becomes a foundation for building stronger, more empathetic teams and organizations. At Workhuman Live, this idea takes center stage. Leaders leave the conference with a renewed understanding of how recognition is more than just a program — it’s a way to build trust, foster connection, and create a workplace where everyone, including leaders, feels valued. By sharing these stories through tools like the Culture Hub, leaders can amplify the impact of their recognition and inspire empathy across the organization. You also get discounts by purchasing tickets together — learn more.
   
10. Show leaders their real impact
    Empathy grows when leaders see the real, human impact of their actions – and recognition is a powerful way to make that connection tangible. For example, the Workhuman solution allows leaders to share and celebrate meaningful recognition while also seeing the ripple effect of that gratitude and the rewards they give. When leaders hear stories of how their recognition boosted someone’s morale, made a happy moment possible, or helped an employee through a challenging time, it reinforces the value of their leadership and deepens their connection to their teams. Recognition stories humanize the workplace by putting faces and emotions behind the numbers, creating a more empathetic and connected culture.

By giving leaders practical strategies, ongoing support, and a clear understanding of empathy’s value, HR professionals can empower them to lead in ways that transform workplace culture.  

TL;DR: Key takeaways:

• Humanizing crisis communication strengthens trust and connection.
• Empathy and transparency are essential for crafting messages during crises.
• Insights from Workhuman Live speakers provide real-world guidance for empathetic communication strategies.
• A strong crisis communication plan ensures clarity, consistency, and compassion.

Closing thoughts on empathy: building a better workplace

Empathy isn’t a luxury in leadership. It’s what allows organizations to build trust, strengthen collaboration, and create environments where people genuinely thrive. Whether that is through active listening, recognition, or storytelling, leaders who prioritize empathy elevate their teams and their workplaces.

At Workhuman Live, empathy is embedded into every session, story, and conversation. From the inspiring keynotes to tools like our Gratitude Bar, the conference gives leaders a firsthand experience of how appreciation and empathy can transform the workplace. It’s a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and connect, together. 

Bring your leaders – and your entire team – to Workhuman Live 2025 and immerse them in the principles of human-centered leadership. (We have special rates and features for groups, so check that out!) 

Register now to join us in Denver and help your leaders to learn why empathy matters.

About Darcy Jacobsen

Darcy is a passionate storyteller and champion of workforce transformation, human connection, and recognition-driven culture. As an author on the Workhuman Live Blog, she loves to connect deep research insights with modern workplace dynamics to uncover what really drives engagement, belonging, and happiness at work. With a background in communications and a master’s in medieval history, she brings a unique perspective to her writing, taking deep dives into all topics around organizational psychology and the science of gratitude.