Hollywood has always been fascinated with depicting an emotionless future. For example, in the dystopian movie “Equals,” Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult are star-crossed lovers (think a sci-fi Romeo and Juliet) in a world where all human emotions have been eradicated to create a crime- and violence-free society.

Of course, it’s hard to imagine a world where emotions are banned, but in real life, some people have the misconception that displaying emotions, particularly negative emotions, at the workplace can be detrimental to one’s career and create chaos within the work environment. However, in her book “Emotional Agility,” Susan David, a Harvard Medical School psychologist contends that negative emotions such as fear or sadness can actually benefit an organization.

Furthermore, individuals who show more sensitivity than others can be as valuable to their respective organizations than those who always keep their emotions in check. In some cases, they can prove to be even more of an asset. Here is a quick look of the advantages that highly sensitive people offer to businesses:

They are highly empathetic.

Many careers thrive on an individual’s competency to meet client’s needs, resolve issues, and offer solutions. For instance, the salespeople’s main objective is to sell and market a new or existing product or service. However, they can try all their might to drum up their sales by emphasizing on features and benefits, but they’ll likely fail in their efforts if they don’t understand what exactly the client needs. Meanwhile, highly sensitive salespeople can succeed in sales because they can understand what emotional triggers can capture the hearts of consumers and are genuinely interested in providing a product or service that helps or improve their lives.

They are more emotionally aware.

Highly sensitive people tend to feel emotions on a greater level, which means that they have more insight into human emotions. If they come across individuals in difficult situations, they can act towards them with more compassion and be more authentic in their efforts to help in the best way they can. In the field of social work, highly sensitive people can flourish because they can truly grasp the plight of vulnerable individuals and are more equipped to provide the necessary support and counsel.

They show great passion.

If you take a look at a few sample resumes online, you’d surely come across some where job searchers describe themselves as “passionate.” In organizations, members who show tremendous passion for their work are often the ones who deliver exceptional performance, are receptive to feedback, and dedicated to continuous improvement efforts. In this case, highly sensitive people are ahead because they always tend to be passionate with tasks that they often go the extra mile to ensure all their accountabilities are accomplished.

They need their me-time.

An organization has to work like a well-oiled machine to meet its goals, and thus it’s expected that all members are all for teamwork and collaboration. However, certain mandates call for solely individual effort, and if members are too dependent on other staff members or are causing disruption or distraction, hindering others’ productivity and efficiency in return, then the well-oiled machine of a company is bound to break down. On the other hand, not only does a highly sensitive person can work by themselves as well as with others, but they also tend to be more focused with the tasks at hand.

They are highly creative.

Every company has to meet their objectives, while ensuring compliance to industry regulations and standards, but at times, there could be multiple roads they can take to achieve their targets. One road can be the traditional one, and another road can be the unorthodox one – but both can get the organization to the place they have set their eyes on. When it comes to exploring options outside the box, the highly sensitive people prosper because they are more creative and innovative. In turn, their unique ideas triumph more than the traditional ones.

Don’t let hearsay get to you. If you’re a highly sensitive individual, know that you have advantages that you can offer your future organization or company and you’ll be a valued asset.

SOURCES:

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/8-ways-highly-sensitive-people-make-the-world-a-better-place-1112157

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245293

https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/19/12221264/equals-movie-review-equilibrium-thx-1138