Do you have an “Emotional Moody” type person working for you?
Almost every multiple employee organisation today has experienced some form or another of a “Bad Apple” employee; someone who, whether consciously or subconsciously, disrupts or hinders the advancement of productivity in the workplace. One type of bad apple is the “Emotional Moody”.
Characteristics: Temperamental and goes through mood swings; difficult to predict the best time to communicate with such employees. Appears distant and can be rather cold towards others; unable to control emotions and finds it difficult to maintain self-composure.
Traits to look out for: Introverted, low self-esteem, easily tensed and poor stress management techniques, intolerant to bluntness, pessimistic, weak in interpersonal skills and display low comfort with conflict.
Negative side: Ultra-sensitive to comments, inconsistent in responding to different people within the organisation; others will find it very challenging to relate and engage.
How to manage: If these traits become too severe and to an extent damage personal productivity and the ability to control one’s emotions, then psychiatric advice is needed where a combination of psychological counselling and medical prescription is needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
There is another aspect that could possibly be related to a person’s unpredictable temperament which could be due to feeling of inadequacy or lacking in competence to perform up to the supervisor’s or team’s expectations. A person’s level of persistency, wants challenge, positive attitude and sound problem solving can either exacerbate or improve the problem. Being aware of what is triggering the mood swings may provide a clue as to how to fix the “Emotional Moody”.
If you determine that the training time and skills of the “Emotional Moody” warrant further identification of triggers and development of emotional intelligence, the Harrison Assessment has many different reports that may help.
The Harrison Assessment uses a simple 30 minute online smart questionnaire that can help you identify and help these “Emotionally Moody” employees. Using the Harrison Assessment can help you avoid hiring these types or help you manage the “Emotional Moody” who is already working for your company.