It's getting emotional!
Is it possible to anticipate emotions or the emotional climate in the workplace? And if so, what concrete benefits could this create for e.g. employees and managers?
From emotional data to emotional leadership
Just like any other human behaviour, emotions can be measured. Traditionally, the manager senses their team's mood and tries to steer communication and emotional states through their dynamic leadership. However, managing emotions effectively can be challenging with busy schedules and other work tasks.
A virtual colleague (chatbot) can assist the manager by providing guidance and advice. The chatbot informs the manager about the prevailing emotional climate, including which emotions are rising or declining. Additionally, the bot highlights the issues that cause the most tension in the workplace. This helps the manager to focus on day-to-day leadership tasks in a more comprehensive way.
Emotional data and onboarding
We've collected emotional data from employees during onboarding phases and have noticed a correlation between emotional states and learning. At the beginning of onboarding, new employees are satisfied, excited, and happy. However, as they encounter more information and new tasks, emotions such as frustration and impatience become more prominent. These emotional states can disrupt learning and dampen initial enthusiasm. By using chatbots, we've identified these moments and implemented actions that return employees to a positive emotional state quickly, resulting in productive work.
Based on chatbot-collected data, we've adjusted schedules, updated onboarding materials, and created self-learning resources, among other things. These simple and quick solutions have had a significant impact on the overall success of onboarding prosesses.
In addition to improving the employee experience, our emotional data collection has helped reduce manager workload and redirect resources to "real" issues. This involves anticipating and reacting, but it requires a bot capable of empathetic dialogue and acting as an essential team member who receives information that would not otherwise be brought to the surface.
