literally put themselves in a bubble to relax, meditate,
or do whatever else helps them recharge. McLaren,
for example, uses the pods to train F1 supercar drivers
to focus. Other companies, such as electrical parts
distributor Van Meter, are relying on much simpler
interventions like shutting of employee e-mail accounts
when workers go on vacation to allow them
to concentrate on themselves without interruption.
DESPITE ITS limitations, empathy is essential at work.
So managers should make sure employees are
investing it wisely.
When trying to empathize, it’s generally better
to talk with people about their experiences than
to imagine how they might be feeling, as Nicholas
Epley suggests in his book Mindwise. A recent study
bears this out. Participants were asked how capable
they thought blind people were of working and living
independently. But before answering the question,
some were asked to complete difficult physical
tasks while wearing a blindfold. Those who had
done the blindness simulation judged blind people
to be much less capable. That’s because the exercise
led them to ask “What would it be like if I were
blind?” (the answer: very difficult!) rather than
“What is it like for a blind person to be blind?” This
finding speaks to why Ford’s use of the Empathy
Belly, while well-intentioned, may be misguided:
After wearing it, engineers may overestimate or misidentify
the diiculties faced by drivers who actually
are pregnant.
Talking to people—asking them how they feel,
what they want, and what they think—may seem
simplistic, but it’s more accurate. It’s also less taxing
to employees and their organizations, because it
involves collecting real information instead of endlessly
speculating. It’s a smarter way to empathize.
HBR Reprint R1601D