Emotional Triggers in the Workplace

Human resource professionals often are faced with workplace situations that give rise to a wide variety of emotions; many of which are not comfortable. Perhaps an employee confides in you about a workplace situation that provokes you to share her anger. Or, a manager asks you to help him find out why an employee is suddenly not performing as he once used to. You learn that the employee’s partner is being discriminated against at his job and your ire with this situation gets in the way of your ability to be helpful. In other words, the “human” in human resources applies not just to the people you work with, but to you.

In this Discussion, you are challenged to explore your reactions to some of the cases you have read about, share your triggers and feelings with your colleagues, suggest strategies for coping with emotional triggers in the workplace, and take time to think about how these triggers might affect your work as a human resource professional.

If you experienced emotional triggers related to legal cases involving workplace situations and possible solutions:

• What feelings did you experience and what do you believe caused these feelings?
• How did you control the feelings?
• Who did you talk to about them and did that discussion make you feel better or worse? If you didn’t discuss these feelings/reactions/thoughts with anyone, upon reflection, would it have helped to do so, and how?
• At this point in your studies, how do you foresee triggers in the workplace affecting your work as a human resource professional?

Assignment must have at least three references