Nearly Three in Five Consumers Boycott Unempathetic Companies, New Research Shows
16.06.2026 - 20:35:43 | boerse-global.de
A fresh YouGov survey, commissioned alongside a study by Stanford University’s Professor Jamil Zaki and Zurich Insurance, finds that 57% of consumers deliberately steer clear of businesses they view as lacking empathy. The research, published on June 16, estimates that this emotional disconnect is costing organisations billions in lost revenue.
The findings underscore a broader shift: employees, too, are drifting away from employers that fail to offer a sense of purpose. According to executive coach Violeta Nikolic, many managers have grown quietly detached from their own companies, a trend that the Gallup Engagement Index has tracked since 2020 as job satisfaction steadily declined.
Systemic Questions as a Management Tool
A new guidebook aims to reverse that disengagement. Das systemische Mitarbeitergespräch (The Systemic Employee Conversation), written by René Laxy and released in June 2026 through managerSeminare Verlag, proposes 12 types of systemic questions designed to shift workplace chats toward solutions. The 208-page manual, supplemented with online worksheets, encourages leaders to strengthen employees’ sense of ownership rather than simply handing out instructions.
Empathy Has a Clear Payoff
The cost of indifference is not just theoretical. The Stanford–Zurich study, backed by YouGov’s consumer polling, reveals that companies seen as unempathic risk significant market harm. Sika, the Swiss chemicals group, offers a counterexample. On June 16, the firm reported hitting 88 points on its employee engagement index — two points above 2024 levels and well past its 2028 strategic target of 80 points. The survey drew an 88% participation rate among Sika’s roughly 33,700 employees, who generated sales of 11.20 billion Swiss francs in 2025.
Space Also Matters
Physical surroundings influence engagement too. RealFM e.V., the German facility-management association, published a 147-page guide on June 16 covering “New Work and Workplace Services” across ten key areas. The document helps facility and real-estate managers design spaces that support modern working styles.
Consultant Jess Ekstrom argues that innovation often emerges from the gap between how things are and how they should be. For leaders, she says, focusing on the process of finding answers is more important than simply hitting milestones. That approach, she adds, is the only way to sustain team creativity over the long haul.
