Harnessing the power of human emotions will be needed to fill job vacancies and stem the tide of resignations after the pandemic, say experts.

In a new report, Emotionally Charged: The Power of Human Emotions at Work, published by business technology specialist The Access Group, employers are urged to nurture positive feelings of joy, empowerment and freedom to build and strengthen their teams.

The competitive war for talent reached a pivotal turning point in the last year as the Covid-19 pandemic washed over the globe, causing layoffs, furloughs and a rapid move to remote working that left many organisations scrambling to revise their traditional hiring practices. Record numbers of UK firms are struggling to fill roles, with hospitality, health and care and logistics among the worst hit.

Many organisations are also bracing themselves for what’s been dubbed the Great Resignation – a mass exodus sparked by the pandemic.

Claire Scott, chief people officer at The Access Group and one of the report’s contributors, said:

“The past 18 months reminded us just how important human emotions are to the success of organisations in every sector. Care workers, who made personal sacrifices to look after clients, were driven by compassion, and the fact that many organisations stayed afloat, and even grew, is down to the determination of staff.

“As life begins to return to normal, it’s now time to evaluate how the emotional landscape has changed. Employers will need to tackle the causes of frustration, stress and anger that may have escalated during the pandemic, and create an environment where people feel valued and happy at work.

“Technology has an important part to play in helping people to work efficiently and in a way that suits them. Video calls and collaborative cloud-based platforms, for instance, have now made remote and flexible working a reality for millions of people. Used strategically, technology reduces unnecessary admin and frees people up to do what they do best, so work becomes more rewarding and they feel they can spend their working time on the things that matter most.”

Her comments were echoed by Dave Coplin, CEO and founder of business consultancy, the Envisioners, who said:

“Some organisations see technology and automation as an opportunity to cut costs and increase output. While this might deliver short term results, what you sacrifice is the ability to continue to grow the value you offer your customers and the people who work for you.

“We are better together and organisations really need to understand that the best approach is finding the right balance between the cold predictable logic of the algorithm, with the warm, sometimes chaotic, intuition of humans.”

Download your free copy of Emotionally Charged: The Power of Human Emotions at Work here.

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