It is vital for employees to understand the viewpoints or perspectives of others. This is especially true considering collaboration makes up the backbone of modern work culture. With a constant need for empathy and perspective-taking, it is no surprise that some people may get worn down by this endeavor. What are the impacts to employee well-being for both parties involved?
THE RESEARCH STUDY
The researchers (Fasbender et al., 2024) gathered data from 89 pairs of coworkers in Germany. This study showed that taking the perspective of another employee was associated with increased support and help for that employee. In turn, recipients of perspective taking reported improved well-being. On the other hand, engaging in perspective taking also led people to feeling drained and less able to self-regulate, leading to decreased well-being for themselves.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Perspective-taking is an important part of working with other people. However, it is important to be aware of its potential costs. Organizations that want to utilize the results of this study may consider doing the following:
- Give employees opportunities to recover their psychological resources throughout the day. This may include taking microbreaks or having higher levels of autonomy.
- Emphasize the importance of recovering psychological resources during off-times, such as evenings and weekends. This is especially important for employees who engage in a lot of perspective-taking.
- Maintain firm boundaries between work and off-time for all employees. A key aspect to recovery is detaching from work, so resist the temptation to contact employees after-hours and help employees maintain appropriate boundaries between work and home life.
Fasbender, U., Rivkin, W., & Gerpott, F. H. (2024). Good for you, bad for me? The daily dynamics of perspective taking and well-being in coworker dyads. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 29(1), 1-13.
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