In management, compassion is cumbersome and ambivalent: it is a behavioral imperative, an ethical rule. On the other hand, compassion can be a flourishing activity, through various forms of “social business”. Its development reflects both the rise in the consideration of feelings in management and the development of compassionate concern in contemporary societies. But as an imperative addressed to managers, compassion establishes an indirect criticism of the world of management: if empathy must be demanded with as much vigor, it is because, unfortunately, it is not obvious in the world of work. Compassion is therefore cumbersome, but it is perhaps a lesser evil in the face of contemporary working conditions.