empathy, meaning the tendency to sacrifice one’s
own needs for others’ (rather than simply “feeling”
for people). Variables such as long hours and heavy
caseloads also had an impact, but less than expected.
And in a survey of Korean nurses, self-reported compassion
fatigue strongly predicted their intentions
to leave their jobs in the near future. Other studies
of nurses show additional consequences of compassion
fatigue, such as absenteeism and increased
errors in administering medication.
People who work for charities and other nonproits
(think animal shelters) are similarly at risk.
Voluntary turnover is exceedingly high, in part because
of the empathically demanding nature of
the work; low pay exacerbates the element of selfsacriice.
What’s more, society’s strict views of how
nonproits should operate mean they face a backlash
when they act like businesses (for instance, investing
in “overhead” to keep the organization running
smo othly). They’re expected to thrive through
selless outpourings of compassion from workers.
The demand for empathy is relentless in other
sectors as well. Day after day, managers must motivate
knowledge workers by understanding their
experiences and perspectives and helping them ind
personal meaning in their work. Customer service
professionals must continually quell the concerns
of distressed callers. Empathy is exhausting in any
setting or role in which it’s a primary aspect of the j