This has been an intense and eye opening two years for all of us (to say the least!). Collectively we’ve experienced a concentrated and ceaseless amount of heaviness. Adjusting to this new hybrid world at work while digesting everything else around us has definitely taken a toll on our collective mental wellbeing. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 30% of American adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depression recently, up from around 10% before the pandemic. Adapting to a more permanent, new way of living and processing all that has happened is also skyrocketing stress levels across the board. Staying focused –let alone motivated – is an added challenge. Modern managers now have an opportunity and a responsibility to encourage and actively support empathy at work. Leading with empathy not only improves employee engagement, but also supports a much wider and very important cultural shift towards destigmatizing mental health issues, encouraging more authenticity in the workplace. Here’s how managers can start actively engaging empathy to empower their teams and drive change.