A Public Relations Take on Fostering Compassion in the Workplace

Photo by Giulia Bertelli 

 

With worldwide crises abounding, reverberating with the ups and downs of everyday life for individual people, redeeming qualities like patience, empathy, and perhaps even compassion can sometimes take a backseat. Hey, we’re only human, and humans only have so much brain space to care for others if they happen to be struggling.

 

This phenomenon makes the current public relations industry a little ironic: our job is to turn on our compassion, empathy and listening skills, and use those to help make business messaging decisions for our clients. PR disasters usually start with an absence of one (or all) of those three factors. The famed “PR crisis” can often be mitigated–and in rare cases, even reversed–by renewing our focus on those factors once again.

 

From a publicist’s POV, here are some guidelines toward retaining compassion in your work life (and…life life?) when it looks like the world is going belly-up:

 

• Pop the bubble

 

It’s easy to forget you, and your business, are part of a network of other people and other businesses, and many societal ecosystems are undergoing their own woes. Before sharing good or bad news with the world, an effective publicist might examine what said world is going through right now. For instance, our agency didn’t email any UK-based contacts the day Queen Elizabeth II passed away. We would easily recommend not running Florida-based beach vacation advertisements this week (September 30, 2022), so soon after Hurricane Ian leveled Ft. Myers. If your actions affect anyone outside of your workplace bubble: pop it. Think for a moment how words or behaviors might be perceived among different kinds of people before you act, no matter what time pressures you face.

 

• Ask “why?”

 

“Why” is a magic word–the key to unlocking motivation and understanding. If tensions are high, people may not act or sound their best (much to a publicist’s chagrin). To return to compassion and empathy, start with a question instead of a reaction when facing a wrongdoer: start by asking “why”. Why did so-and-so snap at me when I asked how their day was going? Why did my supervisor make such a clueless off-the-cuff remark about our audience? Often times spontaneous remarks have nothing to do with the unlucky recipient and everything to do with the offender’s problems, the details of which you may or not know.

 

A caveat: empathy does not excuse bad behavior, and definitely does not touch the worst, most inhumane behavior. It does, however, provide a potential path forward in the face of unfortunate remarks. If the offender can get honest about why they said or did regrettable things, they may be able to work on a solution, an apology, or the most appropriate next step. 

 

• Foster self-compassion

 

Publicists have demanding jobs with clients who require expeditious counsel and timely results. It’s easy to lose sight of self-compassion when others’ success also sits on your shoulders. 

 

Within agencies, publicists utilize internal networks to help them weather storms and set appropriate expectations for their clients. They also remind each other when they’re doing good work, or are being too hard on themselves. If you’re unsure whether you’re doing all you’re capable, ask for help. If you’re fairly positive you’re doing all you can, remember: you’re one person, one cup that can only get so full. Honest boundaries with clients, reminders for yourself, and taking breaks and space when required, pay huge dividends for your own capabilities in any workplace setting. Self-compassion can look like helping your future self, too, as it keeps your position manageable and paves the way for a longer tenure and more opportunities for advancement.

 

Three guidelines don’t quite cover the complex compassion conversation but nonetheless serve as reminders. The next time you’re confronted with questionable words or actions, consider the headspace of others, beyond yourself, when guiding your decision-making. Compassion can be a tool, not just for self-preservation, but for self-governing your future decisions.