Identifying Patterns of Compassion at Work in Relation to Work-related Outcomes: A Latent Profile Analysis

Mengyang Xu; Xi Zeng; Huifang Sun; Zhuozhao Wang

doi:10.6981/FEM.202412_5(12).0012

Authors

Mengyang Xu
Xi Zeng
Huifang Sun
Zhuozhao Wang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6981/FEM.202412_5(12).0012

Keywords:

Compassion at Work; Employee Well-Being; Turnover Intentions; Latent Profile Analysis.

Abstract

Suffering is pervasive in workplaces, and compassion is a necessary process in response to employees’ suffering. To date, researchers have considered the definition of compassion at work and how compassion benefits sufferers. However, this variable-centered perspective ignores the possibility that there may exist subpopulations of employees who vary in combined perceptions of compassion at work. To address this issue, we examined compassion at work from a person-centered perspective using a sample of 636 employees in China's mainland. Using latent profile analysis, we identified four types of compassion at work profiles: high-compassion, low-compassion, high-lack of compassion, low-lack of compassion. We also found that these profiles differentially predicted several employee outcomes (employee well-being, emotional exhaustion, work engagement, and turnover intentions). Our results bring new insights into the nature of this construct and show how different employees may have distinct combinations concerning the perception of compassion at work and how these profiles associate with employee outcomes distinctively.

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