20 Ways to Improve Empathy and Relationships at Work

20 Ways to Improve Empathy and Relationships at Work In the busy, fast-paced world of business, it may be surprising to learn just how important empathy is when it comes to your personal level of performance and how well you can interact and work with your co-workers. Low levels of empathy can cause many problems in the workplace â€" it can leave you feeling distant from your colleagues and it can also lead to a failure to listen and work in harmony together. GetCRM put together an infographic that outlined the many excellent practices backed by science that you can implement into your daily life to boost your empathy levels. Many studies have shown that empathy plays a key role in improving your relationships at work and can also lead to a fuller, happier level of life each day. If you’ve been struggling to connect with your peers at work or find your working relationships aren’t as strong as they could be, you may want to implement these tips and strategies to boost your empathy levels: Allow others to speak Everyone can have moments when they are so preoccupied with getting their viewpoint across that they neglect the act of listening and learning from someone else. Give your co-workers the time and platform they need to speak and get their point across and you will find a stronger bond develops and you also have the chance to experience a point of view different from your own. Identify your own behaviors We all have certain biases and behaviors in life which can affect how we interact and respond in certain situations. For example, if youre often stressed and annoyed or find you feel from distant from people it can drastically hinder your ability to form strong relationships. By putting in the effort to analyze your personal biases, you can gradually overcome them and be a lot more open and welcome in your daily life. Get to know people personally Although not all people click on a personal level, forming meaningful friendships with colleagues can make it a pleasure to turn up to work each day. Whether it’s having deep and personal conversations together or even something as simple as using a person’s name when speaking to them, connecting with co-workers on a personal level will significantly improve how you work together. Experience new things in life Often when it comes to empathy the solution won’t necessarily have anything to do with how you are at work; instead, the problem may lie with how you are outside of the workplace. Many travelers can attest to the intense personal benefits of traveling around the world and experiencing new people and cultures. Do something unique and interesting with your time off and see how your perspective on life changes. Empower yourself with knowledge In order to best understand how you work you need to cultivate your knowledge and become as smart and wise as you can possibly be. Take the time in your life to learn new things whether it’s studying a book on empathy or watching an interesting documentary to broaden your perspective on life. This will gradually sharpen your knowledge of your own mind and allow you to implement the right strategies to become a better, wiser person. About the author:  Reuben Yonatan is the founder and CEO of GetVoIP. Reuben is also a contributor to Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, BizCommunity, as well as other popular publications.