Corporations Compassion Culture

Chapter 7Elements of a Compassionate Corporate Culture

The previous chapters laid out the historical and current-day challenges, successes, and benefits of creating a foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this chapter, you'll get actionable advice on retooling your business culture, which involves these steps:

• Sustainable management
• Doing the introspective work
• Leadership styles
• Picking your team
• Getting on track and staying there
• Cultivating an equitable workplace culture
• Employee resource groups as culture creators and advocates
• Transparency and employee leadership
• Recognizing and molding your company's internal language
• Investing in employee education, performance, and health
• Measuring employee performance
• Making separations compassionate

Sustainable Management

Problems with business culture often start at the top with leadership. Employees deserve senior teams who are kind and just, who recognize the concerns of employees, and let employees know that they matter. They need and want leaders who manage with integrity and creativity. In return, employees will go the extra mile to advance the goals of the organization. This symbiotic relationship—an employer who treats workers with dignity and gives them agency combined with employees who feel inspired to give their best every day—is the best way to have a sustainable business.

When people hear the term sustainable, they tend to picture environmental sustainability—and certainly that's an important use of the ...