Chapter 5: Monetizing Compassion: The Case for a New-Age Currency

Compassion is frequently associated with words like “mercy,” “empathy,” “caring,” and “love.” Words which in today’s society seem to be of dubious value to some. By extension, our culture in the United States appears to be taking on the form of a “cultist” society, where the dismemberment of our culture into subgroups such as racial and religious minorities, political factions, sexual orientation, et cetera enables the leaders of the cult to maintain control. “Remote,” “robotic,” and “unemotional” are descriptors of the new workplace, as thousands of employees work remotely, and corporate landscapes reshape themselves to shed thousands more.

In the ravages of a global pandemic, the perils of “organizational distancing” are emerging and indeed intensifying, as the “distant” become more “inanimate” and less “precious.” COVID-19 has forced people to seek shelter and to avoid assembling in public and traveling. The latter includes commuting via public transportation. Working from home has become the norm, and the closing of schools has made the distancing of workers from job sites even more pronounced, as workers tend to home schooling of their offspring. In the meantime, human resource parlance abounds with terms that sound more cerebral, more scientific, more intellectual. What is lost in all the blather is compassionate concern for those organizationally distanced and appreciation of the incredible value of their metaknowledge, compassionate leadership, and constructive organization cultures.