Between layoffs and hiring freezes and a newfound laser focus on profits and productivity, today’s employees are being asked to do more with fewer resources—a one-way ticket to burnout. As a result, managers are tasked with a seemingly impossible job: motivating their teams while managing them during turbulent times. The key, according to experts, is understanding that investing in empathy is an investment in performance.
“Leadership can be so focused on rallying people around a new goal that they don’t give people space to process, or a chance to ask questions and voice concerns,” explains Liz Fosslien, a bestselling author, illustrator, and head of communications and content at Humu, a human resources company. “But there are these lingering consequences because people are exhausted.”
