“The quality of mercy is not strain’d.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;
It blest him that gives, and him that takes.”
Those immortal lines from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice resonate across literature many 100s of years later - not least because their meaning is undimmed by the passage of time. And following several recent discussions in the market, I found myself reflecting on those lines – and on how by replacing the quality of mercy with that of empathy, they reveal a timely lesson for each of us.
Defined most simply as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, empathy offers us a glimpse into the lives of each other and an opportunity to share in the joys, triumphs, disasters and sorrows that make up a human life. It is an invaluable tool and almost implausibly powerful when exercised correctly.
The capacity and responsibility for empathy to be fully engaged with the changing conversations around wellbeing – particularly mental wellbeing – in the financial services workforce has been a topic of discussion for some time. And it hasn’t stopped at discussion either. Not when you consider the internal employee wellbeing programs deployed by larger insurance businesses, the new products available from employee benefit firms, and the work of claims firms in crafting more proactive solutions for wellbeing concerns.
These efforts are rightfully lauded and celebrated, and support for those who continue to make them possible should be given unreservedly. But I am reminded of a conversation I had a few years ago now with a community broker who emphasised that while charities have a critical role in the equilibrium of communities, charity itself must not be allowed to become a tick-box exercise.
In the same way that a weekly donation or day of fundraising cannot scribble out the ongoing responsibility we all share to look after each other, empathy cannot simply be left to those well-trained experts who lead structured initiatives. Succeeding in our shared duty to look out and look after those around us does not require significant training or even the development of any hard skills, it’s all about noticing the little things and having the wherewithal to recognise what we’re seeing.
Signs of stress or burnout are not always easy to spot but they become a lot easier if you know the person in question. This is why often it is us as colleagues and peers who are best placed to recognise the key warning signs that all is not right in the world of the person who sits beside us or who logs in for catch-up sessions.
It is the people working within insurance businesses who have the front seat view of the small – sometimes so small that they’re almost imperceivable – changes in their colleagues’ attitudes or behaviours that suggest strain or anxiety. Long before a line manager or HR representative may see decreases in output or lapses in judgement, desk-mates and co-workers are the ones seeing the early warning signs – fatigue, recurring sickness, irascibility or despondency.
Seeing, of course, is one thing while acting on what you’ve noticed is quite another and far more difficult. Reaching out to colleagues directly to let them know of the available support services can be a tricky road to navigate. And while I firmly attest to the responsibility of the overarching ‘we’ to support those around us, it is to the credit of any individual to accept that there are situations they are not personally equipped to handle and to reach out for wider support. The underlying responsibility of empathy after all is to understand the help another requires, not necessarily to provide that yourself.
Where applicable and practical, having a gentle conversation with a co-worker and encouraging them to share their concerns is healthy and helpful. Making them aware of the internal support services open to them is similarly valuable. And where further support is required, it is to the benefit of everybody within your business, if you are able to bring that to the attention of those who can do the most about it.
Whether by engaging directly with a colleague or opening up the door to somebody else providing the necessary support, any action that you take is a validation of the role empathy plays in strengthening workforces and the wellbeing of the individuals that make them tick. Especially critical to bear in mind, however, is that empathy cannot and should not work on a closed-loop system and those exhibiting this quality need to be just as public about their willingness to accept it returned.
A champion of empathy unwilling to entertain the notion they may sometimes require it, is little better than a doctor sceptical about the marvels of modern medicine or an airline pilot unconvinced by the laws of gravity. The true empathy leaders are those that recognise the ‘twice blest’ present that is empathy and look to make a gift exchange out of every day.
