Emotions are key to what makes us human, but are your employees emotionally aware? If not, it’s time to invest in emotional intelligence training.

Professor Marc Brackett, a leading authority on self-awareness and emotional intelligence, puts it simply:
“Our emotions are an important source of information about what’s going on inside us.”

From an evolutionary standpoint, emotions help us survive. Feelings like fear and anxiety alert us to potential threats. But in today’s workplace, emotions do more than keep us safe – they influence performance, decision-making, communication, health and relationships.

Here’s how emotional awareness impacts four essential areas of working life:

1. Focus and Learning

Emotion shapes attention. When employees feel calm and engaged, they can concentrate and absorb information more effectively. On the other hand, stress or frustration narrows their focus and undermines learning.

Employees improve their performance when they learn to spot emotional distractions and refocus. Resilience and stress management training helps them recognise emotional interference and regain control of their mindset.

2. Decision-Making

We like to think of ourselves as rational beings, but emotions heavily influence our choices. Anger, excitement, anxiety – all these states affect how we assess risks and respond to challenges.

By improving self-awareness and emotional intelligence, employees learn to interpret their feelings as valuable data. Rather than letting emotions hijack decisions, they can pause, reflect and respond with intention.

EQ in leadership is particularly important here. Leaders who recognise the emotional drivers behind decisions make more balanced and considered choices.

3. Social Relationships

Emotions shape every interaction we have with colleagues, clients, and team members. How we feel influences how we communicate, collaborate and lead.

A tense conversation or unresolved emotion can damage trust and reduce team cohesion. In contrast, a leader who invests in improving workplace communication with EQ can strengthen relationships across the board.

Understanding team personality dynamics and using psychometric profiling for employees also enables teams to work together more effectively. Profiling tools like the Big Five personality traits assessment can uncover individual strengths and support personality development in the workplace.

4. Physical and Mental Health

Emotional states have a powerful effect on both body and mind. Chronic stress, anxiety or low mood can lead to unhealthy habits and long-term health issues, including heart disease and burnout.

Conversely, emotions such as gratitude, enthusiasm and joy promote the release of neurochemicals that support wellbeing. That’s why resilience and stress management training isn’t just good for productivity – it protects mental and physical health too.

An effective employee wellbeing strategy should aim to boost positive emotional experiences and reduce emotional strain across the workforce.

Build Emotionally Intelligent Workplaces

To thrive, every organisation needs employees who can focus, make smart decisions, build strong relationships, and stay mentally fit.

When organisations provide emotional intelligence training, they empower their teams to understand and regulate their emotions. Leaders can take it further by integrating leadership personality profiling and encouraging EQ in leadership development.

Start building emotional awareness into your culture today – and unlock the full potential of your people.

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