Measuring Empathy in Traditional and Remote Workplaces

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58593/cjar.v3i2.58

Keywords:

Empathy, Employee Engagement, Remote Work, Hybrid Work, Lartey Empathy Measurement Scale (LEMS), Psychometric Validation, Social Cognitive Theory, Organizational Behavior, Dispassion, Dependability, Emotional Perception

Abstract

Empathy is a pivotal leadership skill that shapes the quality of workplace interactions, particularly within today’s dynamic organizational environments. Yet, existing empathy measurement tools are largely tailored to clinical or therapeutic contexts (psychology, medicine, social work), leaving a critical gap in instruments suited to the demands of modern organizational settings, including traditional, hybrid, and remote work arrangements.

This study introduces the Lartey Empathy Measurement Scale (LEMS), a pioneering 12-item tool designed to assess empathy in professional environments. Developed using DeVellis’s eight-step scale development methodology, LEMS captures empathy through a three-factor model: Emotional Perception, Dispassion, and Dependability.

Psychometric validation was conducted with a sample of N = 650 professionals across diverse industries, split evenly for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). CFA results confirmed the model’s structure with strong fit indices: CMIN/DF = 2.04, GFI = .949, CFI = .958, TLI = .946, NFI = .922, IFI = .959, and RMSEA = .057 with PCLOSE = .225, indicating a close model fit. Internal consistency was supported across both samples, with each of the three factors demonstrating good reliability and stability. These results, along with strong validity evidence, confirm the robustness of the LEMS framework.

LEMS offers researchers and practitioners a reliable and contextually relevant framework for assessing empathy in the 21st-century workplace, supporting efforts to foster more empathetic, resilient, and engaged organizational cultures.

Author Biographies

  • Dr. Franklin M. Lartey , Lartey Research & Management

    Dr. Franklin M. Lartey obtained his PhD with honors from Capella University. He also holds an MBA in Finance with a 4.0 GPA from Baker University in Kansas and an MS in Computer Engineering from the African Institute of Computer Engineering in Gabon. After working with the United Nations, the World Bank, and the U.S. State Department, Dr. Lartey is currently Senior Director of Architecture, in charge of Planning and Forecasting at Cox Communications, one of the largest providers of cable and telecommunication services in the United States of America. He is the founder of Lartey Research & Management in Marietta, GA.

  • Dr. Phillip M. Randall, Capella University

    Phillip M. Randall, PhD, CPG, is currently the Managing Partner at The Thorndyke Group, a human capital consultancy specializing in individual and organizational effectiveness, Atlanta, GA; Faculty member, School of Business, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN; and member, Board of Governors, Accreditation for Gerontology Education Council and Board of Directors, National Association for Professional Gerontologists. He received his BA from Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH; MS from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; and a PhD from The University of Akron, Akron, OH. He earned a Specialist in Aging certification from the Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, Ann Arbor, MI.

  • Dr. Susan Saurage-Altenloh, Capella University

    Susan Saurage-Altenloh, PhD, MBA, MS, serves as doctoral faculty, School of Business, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN. She is Chief Insights Officer and Founder of Saurage Research, Inc., a global research organization. Her firm moves along the early adoption curve of new techniques and methodologies and has won several national and regional awards for clever, unique research approaches to securing critical information for her distinguished client base. She received her MBA from The University of Texas at Austin followed by an MS in Analytics and PhD with honors from Capella University, Minneapolis, MN. Dr. Saurage-Altenloh is in constant demand across the country as a researcher, judge, and presenter.

  • Dr. Tywanda D. Tate, Prosperity Business Solutions Group

    Tywanda D. Tate earned her PhD with honors and MBA with a specialization in Human Resource Management from Capella University.  She is a member of Delta Mu Delta, International Honor Society in Business, XI Delta Chapter, Capella University. She received her BS and MS from Faulkner University, Montgomery, AL.  Dr. Tate is currently the owner of Prosperity Business Solutions Group, LLC, a business management and operations consulting firm, Mobile, AL, and Garland, TX.

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Published

08-10-2025

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025): CORALS' Journal of Applied Research

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Franklin M. Lartey , Dr. Phillip M. Randall, Dr. Susan Saurage-Altenloh, Dr. Tywanda D. Tate

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Measuring Empathy in Traditional and Remote Workplaces. (2025). CORALS’ Journal of Applied Research, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.58593/cjar.v3i2.58