Introduction: Empathy, involving cognitive, affective, and motivational components, is a key competence in professions focused on human interaction. It allows teachers to better understand students’ behaviors and tailor supportive or corrective strategies. It also enhances self-awareness and personal development, contributing to greater job satisfaction. This study examines whether workplace empathy can predict positive and negative aspects of teachers’ professional functioning.
Method: The study included 356 Polish teachers (78.1% women), aged 26–76 (M = 47.69), with teaching experience ranging from 1 to 47 years (M = 23.15). Empathy was measured using the Teacher Empathy Scale (EST). Professional functioning was assessed via a job satisfaction survey and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT).
Results: Cognitive, affective, and work-related empathy positively correlated with job satisfaction and a sense of professional fulfillment, and negatively with stress and burnout symptoms such as exhaustion, detachment, and cognitive decline. In contrast, excessive emotional involvement was linked to lower satisfaction and higher burnout. Empathy indicators explained 26% of the variance in job satisfaction, 21% in fulfillment, and 26% in burnout.
Conclusions: Empathy strengthens teachers’ psychological resources, protecting them from burnout and enhancing job satisfaction. These findings support the development of training to enhance empathetic competencies among teachers, particularly in student-related contexts.