Empathy in the public service

Recent government crisis, such as Robodebt, have highlighted that empathy might improve policy making processes. This blog explores research from Assel Mussagulova (University of Sydney) and I (Colette Einfeld, Australian National University) on how empathy is used, and might be useful, in the public service.

Sue walks into a government office, needing to make a report. She is greeted warmly by Claude. Claude uses his words, voice, and body language, to show empathy in their interaction. Empathy means “people are able to identify and understand other people’s emotions (cognitively) and feel what the other person feels (affectively), knowing that those emotions are distinct from their own”[1]. In this example, Claude’s empathy leads to Sue feeling understood and heard, and she leaves the office feeling confident and positive about making the report.  Research has shown that empathy in interactions with front line staff can lead to better outcomes for citizens.[2]

But our research isn’t about Sue, or Claude, or their interaction in making reports. Our research is about Bob, who designed the welfare policy that impacts Sue. Bob sits at a desk in another office, in another city, has never met Sue, and will never interact with her. Does Bob practice empathy in his work?

This is the question Assel Mussagulova and I are interested in. Late last year, we published an article in the Mandarin on the importance of understanding public servant’s use of empathy. In the article, we argued that empathy is important in interpersonal communication, helping to build trust with others. Empathy in policy making can encourage trust in government, help public servants better understand societal contexts, and can create space for all groups in policy making.  We also noted that empathy may lead to bias against some groups, or even burnout in public servants.

Most of this research on empathy in public servants is about Sue and Claude and their interactions. Very little focusses on ‘Bob’ and other public servants in his office, and how empathy might be practiced when they design or manage policy and projects.

And so, over the last six months, we have been interviewing public servants in federal and state government. These public servants come from the diverse sectors of immigration, tax, data, business, and social services. For this blog, we wanted to share some preliminary findings and thoughts on our research and next steps.

Firstly, most public servants interpreted empathy as been “able to walk in another’s shoes” – and this was often the phrase used. While many public servants commented that empathy was often found in their teams in their workplace and interactions with each other, we were particularly interested in whether public servants empathised with the public, even when they did not interact with them.             

Some people expressed that they were an empathetic person, and this naturally led them to empathising with policy targets in their work. They might reflect for example, how a policy might impact a community based on their own experiences or from previous work.  Other public servants practiced empathy in more systematic ways, introducing empathy into their work through co-design or consultations. We heard of public servants showing empathy in communication to the public, and in their gathering or analysis of evidence.

Empathy was also influenced by leadership. In some teams, leaders were empathetic and gave space to their team to also show empathy. In other teams, leaders were not empathetic, and this seemed to stifle policy actors attempts at empathy.

Mostly, empathy was viewed positively, as a way of helping people, being able to advocate for change, and a way of connecting with citizens. Public servants also noted the challenges being empathetic, and acting empathetically, but needing to be objective and accept when some things are ‘out of their hands’.

Although we have observed some patterns on empathy in the public service, our research and analysis is ongoing. We will be sharing our research with the academic and public service communities over the next few months. We have also started thinking about next steps in our research, and whether it might be useful to partner with agencies for an ‘empathy audit’ to understand empathetic practices or developing training programs for public servants. If you are interested in our research or if this blog made you curious to find out more, please get in touch.

Colette Einfeld, colette.einfeld@anu.edu.au

Assel Mussagulova, assel.mussagulova@sydney.edu.au

Moderator: Colette Einfeld

[1] Mussagulova, A. (2024). How is empathy used in public service? A systematic literature review. Public Management Review, 1-25.

[2] ibid