Cultivating Empathy in the Workplace
Human beings are social creatures and qualities like empathy, collaborative mindset and creativity sets them apart from other beings inhabiting the planet. Empathy has been one of the foremost prerequisites for every human being and it has become a must-have quality in the workplaces of today. Some of us are born with a natural tendency to look out for others while in other cases it has to be cultivated over some time.
Each one of us has had the misfortune of encountering a colleague or leader with little compassion. And this conduct has often led to sour work relationships which in long run impacted productivity and work atmosphere. This is why taking proactive steps to cultivate an empathetic work environment that is cognizant of each person’s needs has become the need of the hour.
At Hexaware, one of our foremost commitments has been to make the workplace inclusive and employee-centric. The last couple of years, in particular, have been quite challenging for each one of us and we have taken proactive steps to support our workforce beyond the traditional realm of work. Our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was one such initiative aimed at providing guidance and counselling to all the employees on matters related to work as well as personal life. These steps taken from our end played a massive role in enhancing employee well-being and developing a workplace filled with empathy.
Over the last several years Hexaware took numerous steps to cultivate empathy in the workplace. These initiatives have set us apart from many others and have established us as the employee-centric organization that we are. Some of these are:
Affable Leadership- Right from the senior leadership to team leads, every individual in our leadership workforce is 100% approachable and available for every employee's needs. We have created an open-door environment where the employees are encouraged to voice their opinions. This policy has been at the crux of Hexaware’s mission from day one and even after 30 years, it continues to be so.
Soft Skills Matter- An employee’s growth at Hexaware is defined not just by their technical skill but by their soft skills as well. This is why we undertake several initiatives to build this critical aspect into each of our employees. Our learning and development initiatives ranging from Mavericks for freshers to Evolve for seasoned employees are all centred around this approach. Through these training programmes, we focus not just on upskilling them but also on cultivating critical thinking, problem-solving, team building, and collaborative skills. There are several other approaches like developing effective feedback mechanisms, and upgrading company policies among several others. which can be taken to create an empathetic environment. And if the numbers are anything to go by, every successful enterprise has done something in this aspect while those struggling are the ones who have not focussed on this absolute need of the hour.













