Niranjala Siriwardena: When Hospitals Offer Compassion, Workplaces Offer HR Meetings
Niranjala Siriwardena, Cancer Survivor and Former Manager at PwC Australia, shared on LinkedIn:
“Why do hospitals respond to pain with compassion, but workplaces respond with HR meetings?
It’s a confronting question, but for many of us, it’s also reality.
In hospitals, pain is met with empathy.
In workplaces, it’s met with protocols.
In healthcare, humanity is part of the job.
In corporate life, it feels like humanity is the risk.
It shouldn’t take a medical degree to treat someone with dignity.
But too often, when a person gets sick at work, they’re no longer seen as a person to support, but a problem to manage.
I know this story.
And I know I’m not the only one.
Here’s what we’re getting wrong and what needs to change:
- Workplaces still reward outdated models of ‘strength’
• ‘Push through’ is praised.
• Time off is weakness.
• Rest is rebellion.
Getting cancer, facing burnout, or managing chronic illness doesn’t make you weak.
But our systems still treat you like a liability.
- Most leaders aren’t trained in illness, trauma, or inclusion
• They understand budgets – not biopsies.
• They can spot missed KPIs – but not the signs of pain.
• They haven’t lived it – so they don’t get it.
That’s not a moral failing. But it is a system failure.
- Policies exist – but culture doesn’t follow
We say inclusion matters.
But when it’s inconvenient, the silence is deafening.
- Mental health leave exists – but comes with silent judgment.
- Anti-discrimination laws exist – but are rarely enforced.
- ‘Flexibility’ is offered – but often punished.
What we need now is a new kind of leadership:
Compassionate. Trauma-informed. Human-first.
- Listen, don’t silence
- Adjust, don’t punish
- Honour the person – not just their performance
Because leadership that only shows up when things are perfect… isn’t leadership at all.
If nurses can lead with compassion every day – why can’t managers, Directors, CEOs, and Partners?
Think about it.
Hospitals are under immense pressure.
Staff are overworked. Resources are stretched.
And still – they lead with compassion.
So why is it, in glossy boardrooms with six-figure salaries and ‘People and Culture’ departments…
vulnerability is still treated like a threat?
It’s time.
For workplaces to stop hiding behind policy
and start leading with humanity.
We don’t just need another training session.
We need a culture reset.
Because the next time someone at work gets sick, they shouldn’t be punished for being human.
If you’ve lived this too – you’re not alone.
Swipe through the full visual breakdown.
Comment if this resonates. Share it if you believe in a better way forward.
Compassion isn’t just for hospitals.
It belongs in every boardroom.”
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