Identifying Emotional Strengths And Weaknesses For A Healthier Workplace Essay.

The importance of identifying emotional strengths and weaknesses in the workplace

1. Explain why it is important to identify own emotional strengths and weakness?

Identification of the emotional strengths and weaknesses are essential to ensure a health workplace environment. Emotions in a person and its expression affect the people around. In a workplace environment, the control of emotions is necessary. Hence, in order to do so, identification of the emotional strengths and weaknesses are essential. Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to manage own emotions effectively. This is essential in order to achieve high performance among the employees. Workplace emotions include anger, happiness, anxiety, inadequacy, apathy, joy, apprehension, nervousness, confidence, over-confidence, and depression, lack of confidence, depression, pride, elation, stress, enthusiasm, stress, excitement, unhappiness and fear. Out of these, some of them are positive emotions, while others are negative. In order to use and handle these emotions effectively without hampering the workplace environment, it is essential to identify the strengths and emotional weaknesses. For example, if a person has identified the emotional weakness as anger, then the person needs to avoid such situations that might trigger anger. Moreover, the person needs to be careful enough, to control his outburst of anger. Thus, it is important to identify the emotional strengths and weaknesses, such that the workplace environment and workplace productivity is not deteriorated.           

Stress in a workplace is a common issue among the employees. The causes of stress might be lack of time, work pressure, lack of clarity of the work assigned. One of the most common sign of stress in a workplace is time management stress. This includes two issues, lack of time along with work pressure. Unable to cope up with time and the pressure of work, the employees often face physical, mental as well as emotional stress. The signs of physical stress include fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, nausea. The signs of mental stress are lack of concentration or loss of memory. Another common sign of stress at the workplace environment is the lack of an efficient leader. Working under an inefficient leader is also a cause of stress at a workplace. This might lead to lack of clarity while working at a project. Thus, the two signs of stress in a workplace are described.  

The development of the awareness of one’s own emotional trigger is essential. This is because, unawareness of the own emotional triggers would result in emotional outburst, thus resulting in an unwanted situation. Once a person reacts badly or inappropriately, the impression of the person at the workplace is degraded. Moreover, emotional outburst at the workplace might also hamper the production of the employee. Moreover, not only negative emotions, it is important to develop the awareness of positive emotional triggers as well. For example, if an employee receives a promotion, and has an emotional outburst of happiness, the other employees, not been selected for the promotion would be hurt. Thus, the workplace culture is hampered.

Common causes and signs of workplace stress

A manager, as a leader has an important duty of modelling constructive behaviours at the workplace. In order to make the workplace a healthy and positive one, the manager needs to follow and preach constructive behaviour. One of the important constructive behaviour includes development of a strong social connection among the employees. This would be helpful to reduce stress among the employees and as a result emotional outburst is also controlled. Another constructive behaviour that could be modelled is affiliative leadership. This refers to the affiliative leaders to create emotional bonds and create a harmony in the organization. This kind of leadership style encourages flexibility among the employees, along with encouraging innovations. Thus, it is a constructive behaviour that the manager need to model.

Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity to be aware of the one’s emotions and handle the emotions successfully. Two essential principles of emotional intelligence includes attunement and empathy. Attunement refers to the property of paying attention to the feelings of others. This is an important principle in the emotional intelligence. While a person becomes aware of the emotions of others, he is able to react appropriately. Another essential emotional intelligence principle is empathy. Empathy refers to the realization of the pain through which one person is experiencing. Empathy is essential to be developed since it is important to understand the feeling of other person. Thus, the two important principles of emotional intelligence include empathy and attunement.

One of the major sources of negative emotion in the workplace is the mismatch between the profile of an employee and the work that is assigned to him. This mismatch causes stress and frustration among the employees, thus triggering negative emotions such as anger, frustration, anxiety as well as stress. Another source of negative emotion at the workplace includes job insecurity and unhealthy politics at a work place. For instance, one employee’s achievements might always be kept undermined and the faults of employee might always be highlighted. This results in the source of negative emotional state such as frustration and disappointment.

Communication techniques are essential for maintaining the integrity of the workplace. Effective communication includes effective listening as well as communicating with a way that maintains the integrity of cross-cultural workplace. The communication techniques include being aware of the impact of culture on the person being communicated with. While speaking, if a person avoids eye contact, that gesture should not be considered as lack of confidence, but impact of culture. Moreover, another communication technique includes speaking with being aware of the non-verbal communications such as body language and gestures. Two-third of the message being communicated could be decoded from the non-verbal forms of communication. Thus, incorporating these techniques would enhance the cross-cultural diversity of the workplace. Another communication technique that would assist the manager to encourage as well as identify the cultural expressions is communicating with the awareness of culture in which the person belongs to. While communicating, if the culture of the other person is kept in mind, then it is easier to ensure effective communication and maintain cultural integrity.

Development of awareness of one’s emotional triggers

Flexibility and adaptation are essential qualities that are expected of each and every employee. However, organizational changes become even more essential during the periods of organization changes. While the organization initiates organizational changes in the policies and procedures of working, the employees tend to demonstrate non-cooperation. However, during this time, flexibility needs to be incorporated. The flexibility in the work timings, along with the flexibility of the kind of work that needs to be done in the changed system is expected. Moreover, adaptability with the organizational changes includes coping up with the changes and expertise of the required knowledge. These are the two ways of demonstrating adaptability and flexibility during the periods of organization changes.

The decision making process is an important activity in any business organization. However, while decision making, emotions might be an effective guide or misguide while decision making. Considering the emotions of others are essential and has to be ensured. Considering the emotions of others refer to empathetic decision making. This is essential at the workplace setting, such that any decision does not hurt the emotions of another person. However, in case of a large organization, it is not possible to consider the emotions of each and every person, hence; the decisions taken might hurt the sentiments of some of the employees. it is important to consider the emotions of others, and various alterations might be made on the basis of the emotions of the employees.

The relation between the achievement of the business objectives and the emotionally effective people is quite strong. The capability of these people falls into three areas. These are the technical skills, intellectual capability as well as the emotional intelligence. The relation is positive as well as negative. For instance, if the person works diligently towards achievement of the business goals, and is passionate about his work, then achievement of the business goals are easily done by him. However, if the emotions are wrongly directed, and the person has frequent emotional outbursts such as anger and disappointment, then he might not be able to fulfil the organizational goals successfully.    

Emotional intelligence refers to the skill that determines the qualities such as self awareness and empathetic interpersonal skills. Emotional intelligence is essential in the context of health and safety at the workplace. Using emotional intelligence, the employees are aware of the safety at the workplace. The use of safety measures such as fire safety, regular monitoring of the electrical gadgets and machines are essential. The emotional intellect of the employees and awareness could be used to detect chemically hazardous articles around the workplace. Self-awareness and awareness of the environment would successfully ensure workplace safety and health.

The significance of constructive behaviors and leadership

Self-management of emotion plays an important role in maintaining a healthy workplace environment. Self-management of emotions requires a person to be aware of his own emotions and identify the emotional triggers. The emotional stimulus needs to be identified and rectified, such that emotions could be successfully managed. Control and management of the emotions are essential for the effective production at the business as well as fulfilment of the organization business goals. Self-management of emotions needs to be incorporated among the other employees as well. All the employees need to be efficient in self-management of their emotions, such that emotional outbursts could be avoided, and a healthy workplace environment could be achieved. Hence, if each of the employees ensure self-management of emotions then the overall environment of workplace is enhanced.    

Encouragement of a positive emotional climate at the workplace is essential. This is because; creating a positive emotional climate would create a positive working environment, with positive work culture. Moreover, the employees would get a healthy workplace and work without stress or negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, fear and stress. Moreover, employee satisfaction is also achieved by encouraging a positive emotional climate at the workplace. With the achievement of employee satisfaction, employee retention is done successfully. Thus, encouraging positive emotional climate at the workplace would ensure enhanced productivity.

Workplace relations are important in order to ensure a good workplace environment. Emotional intelligence could be effectively used in order to build workplace relations. With the use of qualities such as empathetic communication, cooperation among the employees, understanding each other’s emotions and valuing the emotions of others. Moreover, building workplace relations include development of the people skills, identifying the relationship needs to people, focus on one’s emotional intelligence, appreciate colleagues and peers, and be positive and spread positivity in the workplace. Moreover, gossiping and bullying others need to be avoided in order to build positive workplace relations.    

Five emotional strengths: Empathy, self-confidence, self- awareness, justice, happiness

Five emotional weaknesses: Anger, stress, anxiety, nervousness, depression

Two workplace stressors: Lack of efficient leadership, work pressure

Two triggers to initiate emotional response: Stress, arguments

I display emotional self awareness- always

Example: I always respect the emotions of others.

I display a sound sense of self-worth and confidence- sometimes

Example: I tend to lose confidence easily.

I keep disruptive emotions in control: Always

Example: In extreme cases of emotional turmoil, I keep my emotions in control

Essential principles of emotional intelligence

I display honesty and integrity: Always

Example: I am always honest, even in adverse situations.

I am flexible to changes: Always

Example: In case of organizational changes, I am always flexible.

I am driven to improve performance to meet goals: Always

Example: I am passionate towards my work and strive for excellence.

I seize opportunities to create better possibilities: Always

Example: I am passionate towards my work and always seek opportunities

I see the positivity in others: Always

Example: I am empathetic and try to highlight the positivity among my friends, and encourage them to work better.

I sense the emotions of others: Sometimes

Example: I am able to sense the emotions of people and colleagues who are close to me.

 I get along with people of diverse background: Always

Example: I am aware of the culture of the people while I communicate with them   

I read decision network and detect crucial social networks: Always

Example: I am self-aware and hence detect crucial social networks

I foster positive emotional climate: Always

Example: I have a positive outlook and hence foster emotional climate in the organization

I guide and motivate my team: Always

Example: I have a good leadership quality and hence I am successful in motivating my team members

I address my team in a way that engages them:  Always

Example: I involve my team members in various activities.

I cultivate the ability of others through feedback: Always

Example: I take regular feedbacks and incorporate them in the regular work

I initiate and manage team in a new direction: Always

Example: I have good leadership skills, and is successful in directing my team in a new direction.

I resolve disagreements: Always

Example: Using my conflict resolution skills, I am successful in resolving issues among my team members.

I generate friendly atmosphere: Always

Example: I respect and help my team members and encourage doing the same.

I could improve by: managing stress better, being more friendly and approachable and listening better.

In order to assist Anton to respond emotional states of his co-workers, he needs to ensure empathetic listening. Moreover, he needs to understand the emotions of his co-workers. In order to overcome the cultural barriers, Anton needs to focus on the non-verbal forms of communication. It is important for Anton to understand that his emotional outbursts might affect the workplace environment and culture. Anton needs to be encouraged to self-manage his emotions and identify the emotional triggers.   

• Anti-discriminatory diversity policies need to be adopted.
• Equal opportunity policies need to be imparted.
• Work-life balance policy is to be adopted.  

After the role play was done successfully, it has been observed that due to the stress at workplace as well as home, the productivity of the team had remarkably deceased. Moreover, I faced misunderstandings with the team members as well. Thus, it is essential to control my emotions and analyse the triggers of emotions. Moreover, I need to ensure emotional intelligence is developed, such that I am able to understand the emotions of others and ensure better understanding of the workplace situation. I have identified the emotional triggers such as stress, emotional turmoil and work pressure. Thus, with effective development of the emotional intelligence, I am able to enhance my work productive and motivate others successfully.