Exciting news: The Deskless Report 2022 has launched 🎉 Read it here!

Close ticker
Practicing empathy: 3 ways to connect with your frontline workers

Practicing empathy: 3 ways to connect with your frontline workers

Modern business leaders would agree that empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of another—is a key ingredient to effective employee communications. However, in times of crisis, demonstrating empathetic leadership can be challenging, with external pressures and internal stressors getting in the way of supporting those who need it most—your frontline employees.

During times of unexpected change, marked by looming uncertainties for the future, frontline employees will likely experience new and intense feelings in their everyday lives—while at work and beyond. Practicing empathy can go a long way to establish trust and loyalty with your staff, ensuring they feel connected to the organization and reassured while employed (or while waiting to come back to work).

As a business leader, there are a variety of ways that you can foster empathy across the business and empower your frontline teams during times of uncertainty. Below we have outlined the three types of empathy, which business leaders should practice in times of crisis:

1. Cognitive empathy (Think)

Cognitive empathy is the ability to understand how a person feels and what they might be thinking. This type of empathy is also referred to as “perspective-taking”, which is simply the practice of putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes. As your organization chooses how to adapt to internal or external pressures, it is important to understand how the people on the frontlines of your business are impacted and imagine what it might feel like to be in their situation. Using a “perspective-taking” approach to empathy, business leaders will be able to improve decision making and create people-first strategies in times of need.

2. Emotional empathy (Listen)

Emotional empathy, which is also known as affective empathy, is the ability to share the feelings of another person. This type of empathy helps people build emotional connections and provides an opportunity to understand how someone feels. When navigating periods of change, your frontline staff will need an outlet for expressing their feelings and look to leadership for validation that what they are going through is difficult. Business leaders that can genuinely display emotional empathy, by actively listening and ensuring frontline employees feel heard, will be able to develop deeper levels of openness, trust, and, ultimately, loyalty across their workforce.

3. Compassionate empathy (Act)

The third type of empathy takes things a step further, going beyond understanding others and sharing feelings. Compassionate empathy, also known as empathic concern, is all about action and taking the necessary steps to help people however we can. That being said, there is no one “right way” to demonstrate compassionate empathy towards your frontline employees. Depending on the situation, individuals, and emotions, certain types of compassionate empathy may be more or less appropriate. When demonstrating empathic concern, the two most important considerations should be (1) what your frontline employees want and need, and (2) whether any action you take will benefit them directly.

Overall, while demonstrating empathy is an important skill for any modern business leader, it is most important in times of crisis. When your organization is being impacted by factors that are outside of your control, remember you can control how you respond to your frontline teams. Take interest in what your frontline employees are thinking, feeling, and experiencing, and your organization will be able to develop a reputation for being caring, trustworthy, and supportive—in good times and bad.

How brands are using these 3 Nudges to drive results

How brands are using these 3 Nudges to drive results

Time and time again studies show that companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors. With spring well on its way, why not dust off your employee engagement and communications strategies to create teams that are knowledgeable, engaged, and empowered to deliver memorable customer experiences?

In this post, we’ll uncover how brands are using three powerful Nudge types—targeted, bite-sized information sent to frontline staff using our mobile solution—to conquer engagement and communication challenges within retail and foodservice organizations.

The following Nudge types have helped brands drive action, build community, and increase performance through replicated behaviors across organizations.

The Golden Nudge

A knowledge-based question, if answered correctly equals an entry into a prize draw.

Have a limited rewards budget for your frontline teams? Then, the golden Nudge is what you’ve been looking for. An effective way to generate excitement across an organization, while not breaking budgets, the Golden Nudge is a knowledge-based question that’s asked, and if answered correctly, frontline employees get entered into a prize draw.

White mobile phone with screen showing a gold and white image with text and blue buttonsBrands who have used the golden Nudge have garnered high levels of engagement from their frontline, which has helped drive business results.

How can you use it?

Best practice is to include 1-2 Golden Nudges per month in your campaign schedule, depending on your rewards budget. Then, follow-up the week after with a Nudge to announce the winner(s).

The Employee Highlight

A Nudge that celebrates the work of an employee through storytelling.

Showing that you value the hard work of your employees is essential to driving key business results. With the Employee Highlight Nudge, organizations can share stories, with their entire frontline, of outstanding employee behaviors, helping to build community and culture. Studies show, having programs that demonstrate a business valuing their employees and the work that they do increases motivation and job satisfaction. It’s a win-win.

How can you use it?

Start by connecting with frontline managers to help identify an employee to feature. From there, create a short story about the employee—their time with your brand, their role, what they do well, and how they stand out. With their permission, include a photo to make it fun and personable!

The Spark Showcase

Showcasing outstanding ideas from Spark sessions through a Nudge.

Spark is a great place for frontline staff to share ideas and best practices with head office and fellow teammates, across various locations. However, with high message volumes, outstanding ideas can sometimes get lost. That’s where the Spark Showcase Nudge comes into play. By showcasing the best ideas, through a series of Nudges, you’ll be able to replicate ideal behaviors across your organization, that ultimately boost the customer experience and drive sales.

An example? Imagine you ran a Spark session on “what are your best tips to sell our new product to customers?” When your employees share their ideas, you’ll choose the highest rated tip and highlight the idea along with the associate through a Nudge so that the rest of your associates can try them out!

How can you use it?

Using the new Feedback Metrics Dashboard, you can review and determine the top Spark posts for the desired Spark sessions, and feature 1-2 ideas shared in a Nudge. Consider also including a call-to-action in your Nudge to encourage other teams to put the ideas to use.

There’s no better time to have a fresh outlook on the way your organization educates, communicates, and engages with your frontline staff. Using creative content, like the examples described here, helps challenge, excite, and show employees that they’re valued. You’ll be able to break down communication barriers between locations, increase employee satisfaction and productivity, deliver on a memorable customer experience, and ultimately, increase your sales.