Awakening Compassion at Work summary

Introduction

Awakening Compassion at Work by Monica C. Compassion in the workplace boosts performance and fosters innovation. Are you overworked and disillusioned? Perhaps you are sick of the rat race?

Are your co-workers eyeing the clock as the day ends? Do you hear constant chatter of quitting for pastures new? We all know what a poor company workplace looks like. It feels and sounds bad, but it does not have to be that way.

If you are working or managing eight hours a day, five days a week, that time in the office ought not to feel like a massive waste. Satisfied employees will work harder and be more efficient. They are also much more likely to stay put. In turn, companies will profit from higher productivity and lower turnover.

This is where compassion comes in. Businesses can be places where genuine camaraderie thrives. They can be workplaces where solidarity and empathy are not foreign concepts. Instead, they are a key part of the business dynamic.

Compassionate workplaces are the best workplaces.

Understanding Suffering at Work

Understanding Suffering at Work. Work can be tough to endure, but companies need not make their employees suffer. If you are one of the many people who leave home to go to work each day, you know that more often than not, putting up with nonsense and stress is just part of the job. Suffering through stress is such a common issue at work.

It is easy to forget that it is a real problem. It is sad, but work can cause people to suffer unnecessarily. Patty offers one such example. The authors met her while they were conducting research.

This research was on the role of compassion in the workplace. Patty was an executive assistant who worked for several managers in a company. She loved her work. She was particularly good at developing strong connections with her managers.

Patty simply understood them. She knew how to anticipate their needs. Then the company decided to restructure. A series of key tasks were randomly distributed among the company's executive assistants.

Patty got the message about the change late on a Friday evening. On Monday morning, she had already been relocated to a remote building. Patty quickly found herself isolated and dispirited. To top it off, her prime skill of relationship building with managers could not be exercised anymore.

This just goes to show that some management styles will cause unnecessary suffering. This happens when the impact on employees is not taken into consideration. But some companies can and do minimize employees' suffering. The answer lies in compassionate leadership.

During their research, the authors met a company leader called Andy. One day during a meeting, he noticed that one of his best employees, Chan, was looking particularly despondent. So he asked Chan what was up. Chan explained that his sister had died in an accident in China.

Even though he was grieving, Chan had decided to still come to work. In his position as a leader, Andy had to decide how to respect Chan's personal life within a professional setting. He opted for compassion. Chan was told he could take whatever time off he needed.

He would be encouraged to speak with Andy anytime he felt it was necessary. Andy even invited Chan to spend time at home and meet his family. This compassionate approach worked. Chan was able to manage his grief successfully.