I have worked in the human services field for the last 6 years. I worked with adults that have been diagnosed with developmental disabilities; I worked with people who had high medical needs, people who needed constant supervision and supervised people who were almost completely independent. It was very important for me to be able to empathize with the people that I worked with because oftentimes they experienced the world differently than I did. In my time in the field, I have learned to be patient, and if my approach isn't working, well then I try another one.
Empathy helps you to build better software by looking at problems and solutions to them from different perspectives. It will also help to create a user-friendly interface that people can easily understand and interact with. If you can empathize with people, it will help you to create a better user experience for everyone that uses your software. It helps you to express intentions more clearly to the people around you so that you and your team can make the best software possible.
Building reporte with you colleagues is an important part of working on a team. While you do not need to like you colleagues it is important to have a cordial and harmonious working relationship. Your teammates will often come from different backgrounds than you, and they may have different perspectives and experiences. It is important to empathize with your teammates so that you are not overlooking their experience and missing out on ideas that can make your software more accessible.
At my last job I had a colleague that couldn't read or write. Initially I didn't realize it, and when I started to realize it he seemed embarassed. I did my best not to put him in positions where his disability would be obvious. When I had a question I would speak to him in person or over the phone as opposed to email or text.
When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?
I find it difficult to empathize when I am extremely stressed, and being empathetic is creating more work for me. When I am in a scenario like that, I try to take a step back, and perhaps take some space. If I can put myself in the other person's shoes, it becomes easier to be patient. It also helps if I don't take things personally, for example, "creating more work for me" makes me the victim which is not an effective way for me to view the situation.