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Human Resource is a “people’s function” and emotions play a huge role in the day-to-day lives of employees working in an organization. Today’s world may be driven heavily by technology and Artificial Intelligence but the organization is made up of human employees and not robots. They may have their issues and problems which they are not able to express freely, especially when they feel that their issues are not recognized. This creates a hostile working environment, and thus the need for higher EQ amongst HR managers. An HR is associated with crucial moments in an employee’s life cycle, from the time they join the office to their last working day hence, understanding employees’ reactions during these transitions are of utmost importance to provide support. HR Generalist Course
WHAT IS EQ AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR A HR MANAGER?
An emotional Quotient or EQ is a measure of how empathy or insight a person has in understanding others and their emotions. In the book Emotional Intelligence, renowned author David Goleman explains five components of EQ:
AWARENESS – observing emotions
HANDLING EMOTIONS – handling situations with poise
SELF-MOTIVATION – for achieving high performance
EMPATHY – towards others
SOCIAL COMPETENCE – in interaction and leadership position
The HR managers need to have a high level of EQ because it helps in inspiring engagement, inculcating motivation, increasing employee retention, and productivity. It is also instrumental in creating a healthy working environment, allowing employees to create healthy relationships, improving, collaborating and communicating effectively, and achieving goals. That implies that today, successful HR professionals know that their main aim is not just hiring. They can leave an even bigger impact than just hiring bright talent, they can help line managers increase their productivity and earn the respect of the management.
The post-pandemic world has increased its importance by multiple folds. Employees felt insecure about their employment, health, and their families due to which their mental health was adversely affected. Adjusting to the work from home settings, isolated from other employees was a tricky task for them. Now in these uncertain conditions, returning to offices is even a bigger task. In these tough times, it is the responsibility of the HR manager to provide support to them so that their productivity does not diminish.
HOW TO IMPLEMENT EQ IN THE WORKPLACE?
According to emotional intelligence experts, Cherniss, Goleman, Emmerling, Cowan and Adler the process of implementing EQ in a workplace consists of four phases that are as follows: –
- Preparation
- Training
- Transfer
- Evaluation
Phase One is where the assessment of the organization’s needs, personal strengths and limitations, providing feedback and participation is encouraged. Once the plans are in place, Phase Two starts where there is training. It focuses on building a positive relationship between the trainer and the learner, maximizing change, setting a clear goal, breaking these goals into manageable steps, and so on. Phase Three is about transferring the skills learned. Phase Four is focused on assessing the change.
WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HR LEADERS IMPLEMENT FOR A HIGHER EQ IN THE OFFICE?
HR leaders have to take initiative to infuse the emotional quotient in the office. The following practices can be very helpful in doing so which are as follows: –
TRAINING SESSIONS: – As specified by Cherniss, Goleman, and other EQ experts, HRs can implement training sessions to support other leaders in the organization to practice conflict solving, resilience, problem-solving, eliminating passive listening, and self-respect. These training sessions would help these leaders in handling stressful situations in their respective projects. These sessions would also improve the manager-subordinate relationship.
MENTAL HEALTH: – Employees should be given time from their relentless work hours to focus on their mental health and reconnect with themselves. The managers can sharpen their EQ by guiding employees to pause before acting. A very good example of this is Google which has created recreational spaces in the offices themselves. It brings out the best in employees.
NURTURING INNATE CHARACTERISTICS: –HR managers should encourage employees to develop EQ within themselves too so that it can create a good company culture. They should do it by analyzing specific characteristics of every employee so that it does not seem forced. It can create teams that are aware and empathetic towards each other and understand their positions.
ROLE MODELS: –HR leaders should bring a positive vibe into the workspace because it impacts a lot of people like their colleagues, lower-level managers, and employees. They should lead an example and try to exemplify EQ. They should behave diligently and should be able to help their subordinates with the solutions they seek.
At last, EQ can help transform a workspace from a bunch of mechanical robots working to a group of people who understand human emotions and work collectively to achieve organizational goals more efficiently.
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