Yahoo Finance How to manage a highly sensitive person
Not everyone thrives in a busy, noisy environment, but this doesn’t mean they are any less capable or beneficial to a team than those who do.
Coined by clinical psychologist Elaine Aron in 1991, the term Highly Sensitive Person describes people who are alert to subtleties and process information more deeply, which may leave them sensitive to bright lights, loud noises and stimulating environments.
Highly sensitive people are thought to have an increased or deeper central nervous system sensitivity to physical, emotional or social stimuli, which some refer to as sensory processing sensitivity, or SPS. According to Aron, author of best-selling book The Highly Sensitive Person, 1.4 billion people in the world have particularly responsive nervous systems, which is around 15-20% of the population.
And while HSPs are often maligned for being “too sensitive” — these conscious and creative deep-thinkers can be a huge asset to businesses, especially when managed well.
“One of the key things that define HSPs is that they a) sense subtleties and b) process things more deeply,” says Beatrice Zornek the founder of Fall in Love with Work. As a Certified transformational coach, she works with Highly Sensitive professionals through career transitions.
“They are the first ones to notice changes in their environment, such as a flickering lightbulb, to subtle changes in a person’s tone of voice or mood. They are able to ‘read a room’ and can usually tell whether there’s been an argument or a tense situation,” Zornek says.
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“Highly Sensitive employees tend to be conscientious and are often perfectionists. They can thrive in high-paced environments, but the intense sensory input — especially large open-plan offices — can be overwhelming, which is why it’s important for them to have quiet spaces where they can do focused work.”
Research has uncovered differences in the brains of highly sensitive people.
A 2014 study published by Aron and her colleagues in the journal Brain and Behaviour showed sensitivity was associated with the activation of brain regions involved in awareness, action planning and empathy. Although the trait is found equally across genders, being a HSP is often thought of as a “feminine” quality, which forces some people to try and conceal their emotions.
“Highly sensitive employees tend to be very conscientious and have a high work ethic, which is why they are usually high performers,” Zornek says. “If you want to find out who your HSP employees are, start by looking at those people in your team who are most reliable and deliver work to a high standard.”
However, HSPs run the risk of taking on high workloads and overextending themselves with long hours, increasing their risk of high stress and burnout. Working in a challenging environment can lead to anxiety too, such as bustling offices with loud music, bright lights and noisy colleagues.
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Yet with the support of a good manager, highly sensitive employees can bring their strengths to a workplace while avoiding burnout.
“HSPs are often selfless and are driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact in the organisation. In this process, they can often ignore their own needs, and in the long term this can affect their well-being and job satisfaction,” Zornek says.
With this in mind, it’s important to pay attention to people and make sure the working environment is benefiting everyone. Some workers may love office music but for others, it’s a distraction.
It’s also important not to stigmatise highly sensitive people if they do raise any concerns about their environment. Everyone works differently and having a diverse team is a huge benefit to a company, both creatively and financially.
Creating quiet spaces for people to work is a good way to keep everyone happy and fostering a culture that understands the need for downtime and mental restoration — whether that is encouraging people to leave work at work or allowing flexible working — will benefit all employees, not just HSPs.
“Appreciation and positive feedback in the moment is particularly valuable to HSPs because they thrive on being seen and acknowledged for their work,” adds Zornek. Because they tend to be less vocal about their own needs, they will appreciate it when you check in with them about their workload, to make sure they are managing — and also enjoying — their work.”
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