Recently I was put on to a really interesting article by Chris Till, chief executive of the Human Resources Institute of NZ. Entitled "The global workplace: a Compassion-Free Zone?", by Michael Jenkins of Roffey Park (an internationally respected leadership institute), ensured compelling reading in terms of today's workplace.
Jenkins wrote: "We know that workplaces that are compassion-free zones are populated with people who are constantly on the verge of burn-out, where interpersonal relationships are fractious and stressful, and where staff turnover is likely to be very high". Jenkins also went on to say that this lack of compassion in the workplace was surprisingly prevalent in environments and industries that are expected to have high levels of compassion. Worryingly the lack of compassion is prevalent "in the so-called "caring" industries too (and not just hospitals and care homes) but also in domestic and international charities where caring has become a thing that you do, rather than a thing that you feel.
In my experience, the lack of compassion in today's work environment is almost celebrated in some industries, with an ongoing drive for better returns and slashing back resources to improve shareholder return.
Sadly, these short-term strategies are not sustainable, as team members feel demotivated, key people move on and the organisation gets a poor reputation as an employer.
Compassion model
