Module 4: Empathy Skills for Workplace Wellbeing
Fostering emotional intelligence, empathy, and reflection skills is key to unlocking staff wellbeing and driving organisational excellence. Through our evidence-based THRiVE programme, a psychotherapist-led, 18-week course, employees develop the ability to understand their own emotions, connect with colleagues, and reflect purposefully.
These skills enhance personal mental health and deliver measurable business outcomes, making THRiVE an essential investment for medium (20–199 employees) and large (200+ employees) Australian organisations. Discover how emotional intelligence, empathy, and reflection transform your workforce and bottom line.
Why Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, and Reflection Matters
In Australia, poor mental health costs businesses $220 billion annually, including $17 billion in lost productivity CEDA, 2020. Stress, disengagement, and interpersonal disconnects fuel absenteeism, turnover, and conflict, undermining staff wellbeing and performance. THRiVE’s module on emotional intelligence, empathy, and reflection equips employees with tools to regulate emotions, build stronger relationships, and gain clarity through self-awareness, addressing these challenges head-on.
- A 2021 Journal of Occupational Health Psychology study found emotional intelligence training reduces stress by 22% and boosts wellbeing by 20% Tetrick & Quick, 2021.
- The Journal of Applied Psychology (2020) links empathy to 18% higher team performance by fostering collaboration Hülsheger et al., 2020.
- Beyond Blue reports a $2.30 return per dollar invested in mental health programs, with staff wellbeing initiatives cutting absenteeism costs ($10 billion annually, CEDA, 2020).
By cultivating self-regulation, empathy, motivational insight, and reflection, THRiVE empowers employees to thrive personally and professionally, driving organisational success.
Outcomes for Staff
Reduced Stress and Anxiety:
Emotional intelligence training cuts stress by 22% Tetrick & Quick, 2021. A 2019 Frontiers in Psychology study found empathy and mindfulness (via reflection) improve psychological wellbeing by 20–25% Hyland et al., 2019.
Increased Confidence and Self-Efficacy:
A 2020 Journal of Applied Psychology study found emotional intelligence training increases self-efficacy by 17% Hülsheger et al., 2020. The Australian HR Institute (2023) links confidence to career satisfaction AHRI, 2023.
Outcomes for Business
Reduced Absenteeism and Presenteeism:
Absenteeism costs $10 billion, presenteeism $7 billion annually CEDA, 2020. PwC (2020) found emotional intelligence training cuts absenteeism by 20–40% and presenteeism by 15–30% PwC, 2020.
Increased Productivity and Team Efficiency:
A 2020 Journal of Applied Psychology study found empathy improves team performance by 18% Hülsheger et al., 2020. The Journal of Organisational Behavior (2022) links emotional intelligence to 25% higher productivity in high-emotion roles Allen et al., 2022.
THRiVE Program Business Insight
THRiVE | Empathy Skills Outcomes
Leader Stability
Leadership often requires managing stress, high-stakes decision-making, and complex interpersonal dynamics. THRiVE provides leaders with tools to manage their emotional responses proactively.
Decision Clarity
Mindfulness teaches staff to remain present and engaged, fostering a deep awareness of their thoughts, feelings, and the surrounding environment. This heightened awareness can improve time-to-decision and navigation quality.
Greater Cohesion
Business is always fundamentally about relationships. We teach interpersonal effectiveness skills that can significantly enhance how leaders communicate and teams collaborate.
Crisis Management
Distress tolerance skills allow staff to endure and manage emotional distress. This ensures that leaders can make strategic decisions under pressure, safeguarding the organisation’s interests.
Middle Path Management
We teach 'walking the middle path,' which involves balancing acceptance and change. This approach teaches staff to validate differing perspectives within their teams while also driving necessary changes and innovations.
Validation
Validation is a technique which involves acknowledging others' feelings, thoughts, and behaviours as understandable. This boosts morale, increases engagement and sustains high performance.
How Does the THRiVE Program Run?
The Two Streams of Delivery for THRiVE:
2 Day Focused
Leadership Training
This delivery method is a single focused course for one aspect of our THRiVE program.
Focus areas include subcategories from the above skills, such as leadership, mindfulness, initiative, communication or conflict resolution.
While we want to emphasise that the THRiVE Program is an interconnected set of skills that are dependent on each other, we also appreciate that it may be hard to find time for training in your workplace.
OR
Full THRiVE
Program
This is our full 18 Week THRiVE Program, designed to deliver the maximum benefit of professional psychology to your people.
Our full THRiVE Program covers all of the interconnected major skill areas and deep dives into each topic with practical applications, team communication and weekly reflection.
This is the way the training is intended to be delivered in order to impart its true impact and efficacy.
Dialectical Behaviour Principles for Improved Leadership Training
The Connection Between Leadership, Empathy and Organisational Outcomes
Investing in emotional intelligence, empathy, and reflection skills through THRiVE is a game-changer for staff wellbeing and business performance. With proven outcomes—reduced stress, higher productivity, and stronger cultures—THRiVE aligns with Australia’s mental health priorities CEDA, 2020.
In particular, leadership quality is massively determined by this area of skill and in turn, massively impacts the control of outcomes and the ability to attract talent into your organisation. What is often described as ‘good organisational culture’ is often simply a healthy leadership to workforce dynamic.
The principles of emotional regulation, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, balance, and validation contribute to developing resilient, effective, and adaptive leaders.
As organisations continue to navigate the complexities of the modern business environment, leaders equipped with emotional intelligence skills can drive their teams toward success with compassion, clarity, and effectiveness.
This strategic integration of emotional intelligence skills within leadership practices not only enhances individual leader effectiveness but also propels the entire organisation towards excellence.
