Pension Operators Brainstorm on Addressing Emotions in Workplace 

Ebere Nwoji

Issues bothering on What Emotions Got To Do With The Workplace in the ever changing and constantly evolving work environment was the thrust of discussions by over 300 pension professionals at a knowledge sharing session organised by the Pension Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp) recently.

The online session which was open to pension professionals, sought to answer questions such as: Can I learn how to be emotionally intelligent? How can I master and understand my emotions? Can I understand the emotions of my colleague? 

The session was facilitated by the People and Training Lead at PenOp, Yinka Akande who spoke about the critical components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. 

She was able to identify the various opportunities that come along with applying the values of Emotional Quotient for businesses.  

Talking about being self-awareness, Akande educated the participants on how they can improve on their individual selves and breach communication gaps amongst the DISC personality types. 

She further explained the STOPP regulation on how workers should manage their emotions as individuals. 

She stressed that for one to be motivated, he needs to be ready to challenge him or herself. 

She further spoke about the various ways social skills could be improved as well as the steps to building empathy as an individual. 

She concluded that emotional quotient not only allows people to   build good and long-lasting relationships, also improves organisational goals as she advised organisational heads to leverage on emotional intelligence, prioritise wellness and mental health Check-ins with their staff. 

The knowledge sharing session according to PenOp Chief Executive officer, Oguche Agudah forms a forum that enables operators in the pension industry to network, share ideas and listen to subject matter as experts discuss topical and relative issues.