Regardless of the type of organization and the amount of technology it has, it is people who make things happen, who make decisions, create and build the future (with successes and errors). Given this nature of human organizations, it is that we always end up reaching the inherent qualities of each individual, and what else is ours than emotions.
Not enough to think of people management from an administrative perspective, as it has been for decades. The importance of factors such as the development of competencies, personal well-being, motivation, and commitment is increasingly being understood and, in recent years, the relevance of people’s emotions in their health, effectiveness and ability to achieve.
We have boasted so much that we are a “rational” species and although we have that brain capacity, the truth is that we make decisions and behave driven by our emotions. How many times have you reacted to an emotion of the moment and then regretted what you said or did? This is something that has happened to all of us and that shows how emotion drives action and, therefore, also our results.
Given the above, it becomes crucial to think about the new ways in which organizations will engage in emotion management processes. Some time ago, organizational happiness began to be strongly spoken about, as a way of approaching the idea of promoting environments that contribute to people’s emotional well-being, where not only work and productivity matter, but also caring for collaborators as people.
This challenge is enormous, given that the emotional world is multifactorial. Not only does each person experience different emotions, but they are also exposed to different life environments, conditions, personal history, cognitive and emotional capacities, habits, etc. There are many factors that make it easier for one to have more or less emotional well-being, which is why organizations cannot, in my opinion, seek to take full charge of something that ends up being a personal and even intimate challenge for each human being.
However, there are things that can be done, from promoting a good work environment, a system where people feel valued and recognized for who they are and the contributions they make to the organization as a whole, promoting eating habits, physical exercise , of family and social life, as well as rest and recreation, in order to encourage people to have a more balanced life where their sustainable (non-hedonistic) well-being can be at the center, also bringing benefits in reduction of medical licenses, higher levels of productivity and increased organizational commitment, to mention some benefits that institutions that commit to this new way can have.
People management will be increasingly focused on the employee’s experience, therefore, on their emotions at work and the environments that involve them, rather than on administrative or hygienic issues, such as remuneration or physical work environment. This will require companies that understand the states and contexts in which their collaborators interact and will bring the challenge of entering into the management of highly subjective, individual or changing elements, such as the emotional world of each person.
