Empathy at Work. An Untapped Skill.

"Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge."

— Simon Sinek, Author & Leadership Expert

The Challenge: When Compliance Isn't Enough

Many organizations focus on visible safety measures: checklists, audits, PPE, and mandatory training. While these are necessary, they only address part of the risk equation.

The human dimension, connection and psychological safety, is often overlooked. When employees feel undervalued, unheard, or blamed, they are less likely to speak up about hazards or intervene when they see unsafe behavior.

Physical safety requires psychological safety. When workers fear reprisal for speaking up, when they believe their input will be dismissed, when they sense that blame is the default response, they shut down. They stop reporting near-misses. They take shortcuts. They hide problems until they become unmanageable.

Example: A warehouse rolls out new safety procedures but rarely engages employees in shaping them. Workers follow rules but avoid reporting near-misses, fearing reprimand. Incidents happen not from lack of policy but from lack of human engagement.

Empathetic leadership creates the opposite environment. Exhibiting empathy isn't about avoiding accountability. It's about understanding your team members well enough to create conditions where they want to protect themselves and each other.

When leaders demonstrate genuine care towards their team members, trust unfolds. Trust leads to openness. Openness leads to early problem identification. And early problem identification prevents incidents.

The Opportunity: Unlocking the Empathy Advantage

Leaders who cultivate empathy, recognition, and trust gain what I call the Empathy Advantage. This advantage doesn't just improve morale, it prevents incidents.

When leaders understand what makes each team member feel valued, whether it's public recognition, quiet encouragement, or simply being heard, they create conditions where safety becomes a shared commitment, not a mandate. People don't just follow rules; they actively look out for themselves and each other.

Workers who feel valued demonstrate higher engagement, better problem-solving, and increased willingness to go beyond their job descriptions to ensure safety. They become active participants in risk management rather than passive rule-followers.

The How: Practical Ways to Build Empathy in Safety

1. Listen actively without an agenda. Create channels for employees to share concerns without fear. Ask open-ended questions during safety huddles: "What near-misses did you notice this week?" or "Where do you feel support is lacking in our safety program?"
2. Personalize your recognition. Instead of being generic, be specific and more importantly be sincere. Recognition can be small but powerful: a thank-you email, a shout-out during a team meeting, or a personal note acknowledging proactive safety behavior. Authenticity is key.
3. Empower initiative. Involve employees in safety planning and problem-solving. Allowing individuals to identify hazards and propose solutions strengthens ownership and accountability.
4. Model empathy as a leader. Leadership behavior shapes culture. Show genuine care in everyday interactions: follow up on safety reports, ask how workloads impact safety, and be approachable.
5. Invest time in understanding. Spend time in an employee's workspace. Learn the actual challenges they face. Understand the gap between how procedures are written and how their work actually happens. This knowledge doesn't come from data, it comes from relationships built through consistent presence and genuine curiosity.

Over time, these practices create a culture where employees actively watch out for each other, speak up, and prevent incidents, not because they are forced to, but because they care.

Take Action Today: Exhibit Empathy Towards Others

You don't need budget approval or a program rollout to begin. Start with one empathetic action this week:

1. Have a conversation with someone on your team where you only listen, without offering solutions
2. Thank someone specifically for a safety behavior you observed, explaining exactly why it mattered
3. Share a mistake you made and what you learned from it at your next safety meeting
4. Ask team members how they prefer to be recognized, then act on what you learn
5. Spend 30 minutes in team members' work environment simply observing and being present

Track what happens. Notice whether people start speaking up more. Pay attention to whether the quality of safety conversations improves. Watch for increased engagement in safety initiatives.

Empathy is a skill, not a personality trait. Like any skill, it improves with practice. The more you practice genuine care, active listening, and personalized recognition, the more natural it becomes. And the more natural it becomes for you, the more permission you give others to do the same.

What would change if every worker truly believed their safety mattered as much as business objectives?

This is what it means to take care of those in your charge. Start today.

Safer, by Design