Many employers claim that their workers are like family, but that feeling is rarely reciprocal.

A new survey from benefits administration tech company Businessolver shows that while 60 percent of CEOs view their organization as “empathetic,” only about a quarter of rank-and-file workers feel the same way.

The online poll of 1,840 U.S. adults found that employees and executives nevertheless agree on what constitutes an empathetic workplace.

Eighty-three percent of all respondents agree that treating employees well was a key behavior. There is also widespread consensus on the importance of being attentive and considerate of customer needs (80 percent), engaging in ethical business practices (78 percent), and taking care of employees’ mental and physical health (78 percent).

There is also a great deal of agreement on the ways in which employers and coworkers can demonstrate respect and empathy for each other. At the top of the list is verbal acknowledgement that you are listening (76 percent), maintaining eye contact (72 percent), and showing emotion (70 percent).

"The welcome news is that all audiences agree that empathy in the workplace is important," says Jon Shanahan, CEO of West Des Moines, Iowa-based Businessolver. "But employers have their work cut out for them to align leadership and their workforces to embrace understanding and action."

The survey suggests that the perceived lack of empathy is likely costing businesses big in terms of productivity. Nearly half of the polled workers say they would be willing to work longer hours if they saw their employer as empathetic. And one in five employees say they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a more empathetic organization.

"Various research programs have begun to show that empathy is an integral component to the workplace and gravely impacts a company's bottom line," says Adam Waytz, a professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business.

Instant Insights /

Employees don't feel employers are empathetic enough

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