Your team's empathy has limits — and that's okay

We need to talk about something that's quietly burning out communication teams everywhere. I call it the empathy budget — the finite amount of emotional energy your team can give before they hit empty.

I learned this the hard way during my first year leading internal comms. Our team treated every message like a therapy session. System downtime? We'd craft three paragraphs about how we "understood this was frustrating" and "recognized the impact on your day." New parking rules? We'd acknowledge everyone's feelings about change and validate their concerns.

We meant well. We really did care about our people. But after six months of this approach, my team was exhausted. Worse, employees started tuning out our messages because everything sounded the same — overly cushioned and therapy-speak heavy.

You can't spend your emotional currency on everything. When you do, you devalue the moments that truly need empathy.

Real empathy costs emotional energy, so spend it wisely. Deploy genuine emotional intelligence for:

Major disruptions like layoffs, office closures, or significant policy changes that affect people's lives and livelihoods.

Crisis communications where people feel scared, confused, or unsafe.

Personal milestones like retirements, promotions, or team achievements that deserve celebration.

Sensitive topics such as diversity initiatives, workplace investigations, or difficult transitions.

These moments need your team's full emotional presence. People can tell the difference between genuine care and performative empathy.

Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is just give people the information they need without emotional wrapping:

Routine updates about system maintenance, policy clarifications, or process changes.

Logistical details like meeting times, deadlines, or administrative requirements.

Simple announcements about new benefits, office amenities, or general news.

Clear, direct communication respects people's time and intelligence. You don't need to apologize for sharing useful information.

Start by auditing your recent communications. Which messages really needed emotional support? Which ones would've been better served with straightforward facts?

Create guidelines for your team about when to deploy empathy versus when to keep things simple. This isn't about caring less — it's about caring more effectively.

Reserve your emotional energy for the communications that truly matter. When you do this, people notice the difference. Your genuine empathy stands out because it's not competing with dozens of over-cushioned updates about lunch menus.

Your team's emotional well-being matters too. Protect their empathy budget so they can show up fully when it counts most.