Showing Empathy in a Digital World

It’s no secret that our world is increasingly digitized. Approximately 26% of the U.S. workforce works remotely, and 76% of consumers shop online. With grocery delivery, Amazon, Zoom and more at our disposal, people can live their entire lives without ever leaving their homes!

But, these modern conveniences have a downside. We have a loneliness epidemic on our hands. In fact, one study reported that 47% of Americans say they have few or no meaningful personal connections, and as counterintuitive as it may seem, heavy social media users are three times more likely to feel socially isolated than casual users.

We’ve talked at length on this blog about the importance of showing empathy as a leader, but how do we do that when we may never see our co-workers and colleagues face-to-face? How do we make meaningful connections with our team without contributing to the digital clutter in their lives?

Here are three simple ways to demonstrate empathy in our digital world.

Use digital tools for good.

We just talked about a number of digital services people use to simplify their lives. You can also utilize these same tools to show your team you care. If you have a remote team member who has gone the extra mile lately, consider sending them a treat through a delivery service or sending them a gift card. If a team member is going through a tough time personally, consider setting up a Meal Train for the staff to help support them. These little actions are a big reminder that you value your team members as people and not just workers!  

Be intentional about forming personal connections.

In the “old world,” work relationships were forged around the water cooler or in the break room at lunch. During these moments, people shared more about their personal lives, allowing for connections to be formed. In the digital world, these coincidental conversations are much less likely to happen. Our meetings are planned, there are agendas, and we all have a schedule to stick to. When one meeting is over, we rush off to another meeting or conference call. Leaders need to be more intentional than ever about building in time for personal connection with others. Maybe it’s building in 5-10 minutes in your weekly one-on-one meetings to just chat about something other than work. Or perhaps you can set up a virtual coffee with your team members. No matter what works best for you, make it a priority to intentionally invest in your relationships with your co-workers and colleagues.

Get offline when you can.

There are a lot of companies who work remotely, but most of the team lives in the same city. A lot of companies decided to do away with the expense of office upkeep during Covid. If that’s the case for you, try setting up a quarterly lunch for the team to get together in person. Even if your staff is spread across the country (or globe) consider whether having an annual team retreat or team-building conference is a possibility. Meeting your team members in person and away from the office will deepen your relationships, allowing you to more easily show empathy when you return to your digital workspace.

The digitization of our world is not going anywhere. If anything, we can expect to see more companies accommodating remote or hybrid work environments. We must adapt to the changing circumstances and continue to be the servant leaders God called us to be. This may require more intentionality on our part, but will be well worth it in the end. Who would you rather work with – a team and leader that truly cares about you and each other, or a team and leader that just wants to use you for work output? What kind of leader and colleague do you want to be remembered for? No matter what you have been in the past, you can start that new journey today!

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