KangoHR Inc., the global leader in employee engagement, has announced the launch of its latest offering: The Empathetic Employee Training Program. Designed to foster stronger, more human-centered communication, this new initiative helps organizations build critical soft skills—especially as hybrid and remote work continue to shape team dynamics.
At a time when digital tools dominate daily interaction, the program refocuses the workplace on what matters most: empathy, connection, and real human dialogue.
“A negative result of today’s IM and web chat environment is that it has made us worse at talking to each other as human beings,” said Todd Horton, CEO of KangoHR.
Program Overview: Building Skills for Human Interaction
The Empathetic Employee Training Program offers a live or online experience, guided by real-time facilitators who engage participants in open discussion. It’s fully customizable and adaptable to any team size or organizational structure.
Core Focus Areas Include:
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Hybrid communication: Navigating dialogue across remote and in-office teams
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Empathy in action: Understanding and addressing emotional cues in conversation
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Person-to-person engagement: Developing confidence in direct communication
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Leadership through connection: Training managers to lead with presence and impact
Organizations are already using the program as a return-to-office (RTO) benefit, leveraging it to foster connection and ease transitions in a hybrid environment.
Why HR Leaders Are Prioritizing Soft Skills in 2025
Insights from KangoHR’s data—drawn from over 3.5 million feedback and recognition moments—have shaped the curriculum. It reflects a growing need to rebuild communication skills that have eroded in the shift to asynchronous, digital-first communication channels.
Top Soft Skills in Demand:
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Communication
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Decision-making
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Conflict resolution
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Hybrid teamwork
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Emotional intelligence
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Managing up
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General best practices for interpersonal interaction
“This is not about using robots to deliver praise,” Horton emphasized. “No employee ever asked for their manager to use AI to say ‘good job.’ What employees want is authentic, human interaction.”
Bridging the Gap Between Engagement and Empathy
KangoHR’s new offering is an extension of its successful employee recognition and rewards platforms, already in use globally. These solutions help teams build stronger relationships through meaningful moments—and the new training program is designed to scale those moments with purpose and intent.
Whether deployed in teams of 8 or 800, the program is scalable, practical, and aligned with today’s need for authenticity in leadership and collaboration.
A Human-First Approach to the Future of Work
In contrast to current industry trends that emphasize AI-driven communication, KangoHR’s program is a clear statement: the future of leadership is empathetic, communicative, and distinctly human.
The Empathetic Employee Training Program helps organizations:
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Train leaders to communicate with empathy
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Equip teams with interpersonal tools for hybrid and remote work
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Cultivate emotionally intelligent decision-making
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Encourage person-first leadership in an increasingly automated world
As HR leaders seek impactful ways to create lasting cultural change, this training offers a powerful and practical way forward.
