Why Empathy Is The Operating System For Change

Forbes

6 hours ago

Work is changing—fast. AI is rewriting task loads. Org charts are flattening and reforming. Markets are in constant flux on any given day. And humans are feeling it. These humans are working in your organization and are responsible for ensuring your success.
Gallup's latest global snapshot shows 'only 21% of employees were engaged in 2024, manager engagement fell to 27%, and just 33% of employees say they're 'thriving' in life overall' — and disengagement alone 'cost the world economy an estimated $438 billion' last year. That's not a soft-skills problem; that's an ROI and productivity problem.
Meanwhile, headlines boast a 'back to toughness' posture among organizational leaders—mandates, cuts, and less patience for 'feelings.' As Business Insider reports, some leaders are rolling back pandemic-era empathy practices, pushing return-to-office and cost controls despite evidence that productivity gains are coming 'in part from AI efficiencies.' Employees will remember how they're treated at this moment. And when employees are not seen, heard, and valued, engagement, innovation, and productivity suffer..
Here's the hard truth: All of this transformation is about classic change management. And change management is human management. When bringing people along on any change, this requires getting back to human essentials: listening, collaboration, and empathy.
Empathy isn't coddling; it's a strategic tool that keeps people whole, focused, and performance-focused while you rewire the plane mid-flight. And no, organizations cannot outsource that human capital work to AI.
Consider two more realities:
What Empathy Looks Like in Practice (and Why It Works)
3 Moves Leaders Can Make This Quarter
1. Implement Empathy Practices That Scale
Start every change sprint with a 'context + care' brief: what's changing, why it matters to customers, what it means for jobs, and where people can get help.
Make manager 1:1s non-negotiable (15 minutes, weekly) with two prompts: 'What's blocking you?' and 'What's one change I can make to help this week?'
Track participation and themes; publish quick wins. These rituals boost perceived care and reduce friction in adoption. When empathy is modeled, acknowledged, and rewarded, it sets the tone for everyone that this is how success happens here.
2. Invest in Training for 'EPOCH' Skills—Especially for Managers
Run micro-labs on empathy interviewing, decision transparency, ethical judgment with AI, and constructive dissent or feedback.
Tie completion to manager goals; assess via behavior checklists (e.g., 'names the tradeoff,' 'offers rationale,' 'invites counter-evidence,' "solicits other viewpoints').
Assess if engagement and well-being are on the rise in teams led by trained managers, who have previously shown the sharpest declines. Then you know that the training is working.
3. Measure What Matters: Engagement + Wellbeing in the Same Dashboard
Pair your engagement pulse with wellbeing indicators ('thriving,' 'struggling,' 'suffering,' burnout risk, perceived organizational care).
Segment by role and change exposure; intervene fast where thriving is low and change is high.
Treat spikes in 'struggling' as an early-warning signal for missed deadlines, high turnover, and declining quality.
Bottom line: AI, shifting generations, competitive pressures, and volatile markets aren't going away. Your sustainable advantage is a culture where people - especially your managers - feel respected, informed, and equipped to adapt. That's not 'being nice.' That's how to fortify your team to win.