Lidia Dols: «Productivity is totally linked to well-being»

Although we sometimes pretend that there is a radical division between professional life and privately, the truth is that when we work, we are still just as human as before and during the day labor.

If so... Why do we sometimes behave as if feelings and emotions were not important in our professional role?

In this interview with Lidia Dols we will talk precisely about it, about the importance of companies are aware of the existence of that emotional side of their employees and workers in general.

• Related article: "Psychology of work and organizations: a profession with a future"

Interview with Lidia Dols: the importance of training in emotional management for companies

Lidia Dols is a trainer and creator of Gurumind, a digital platform full of content for the practice and learning of meditation and Mindfulness techniques, as well as the stress reduction method "Gurumind stress Free" and various emotional management courses offered to individuals and Business. In this interview she talks about the need to take more into account the emotional dimension of the human being in the field of organizations.

Is it still common for companies to see employees as robots who work for money?

Fortunately, less and less, but there are still many companies that have not entered into this dynamic and that It is hard to believe that your productivity is totally linked to the well-being of the people who work in it. she.

If a person is happy, she is much more productive, the burnout, sick leave, communication is improved and the feeling of belonging to the company is increased, turnover is reduced... The list of benefits of caring for people's well-being is long. The studies of large consultancies demonstrate this.

In other countries they are a bit ahead of us on these issues, but it is clear that the companies that already apply these methods have a clear advantage over the others.

What are, in your opinion, the types of emotion management training programs that are most needed in the business world?

For me, it is important to learn to train the happiness.

Happiness is trained. No one is born without happiness. What happens is that over time, we can lose part of it or lose it in its entirety. Then the problems begin.

A person who is not happy cannot do a job well done and can hardly have a healthy and productive team relationship.

And there begins the stress, which leads us to experience negative and harmful emotions that are reflected both in our environment and in our own health.

Within stress management, we work on: empathy, assertive communication, the feeling of belonging to the group, self-esteem, creativity... Different emotions are worked on to know how to manage them in a positive way.

What are the frequent phenomena in work spaces that are most likely to generate anxiety problems?

Poor communication, poor relationships between people in the company, whether in the same groups or between different groups, lack of planning, lack of recognition... And continue to believe the false myth that stress motivates people to work harder.

What resources can an organization use to prevent its workers from developing stress problems?

Imagine a difficult or complex day at the office. With the need to resolve a situation in a short time, distributing extra tasks to the team members and getting them to assume new responsibilities.

In this circumstance, communication is never easy, but there is no alternative. The training offered by my program achieves a positive attitude from the people involved, and, therefore, Therefore, an understanding of said situation and agility in the proposal and implementation of the options or solutions.

From what you've seen, what is the cost of assuming that Human Resources is only in charge of the selection of personnel, the paperwork and the technical training of the personnel?

If you don't train people for the tough times, they can get caught up in stress and not react positively and as a team.

Like a sports team, you have to train for situations in which the score is negative and there is little time left for the end of the match; it's about performing until the referee's final whistle and beyond.

Useful tools must be given to people, so that they can apply them in their day to day life and improve their quality of life.

In what aspects is the difference between a company with a good organizational climate and one with a bad organizational climate more noticeable?

A group of people who accept their usual responsibility in exchange for a salary is not the same as a team that accepts responsibility while feeling part of the project. This requires the development of new values and skills.

Happiness and productivity of people are two things that go hand in hand. Our experience tells us that it is these values ​​developed in the company environment that generate attitudes of trust, resilience and generosity towards colleagues and a feeling of belonging. And this is precisely the purpose of our program.

The usual concept of employee has to be overcome or transcended today in the world that has touched us live, all collaborators have to "feel their contract" in a different way than they did a decade. When it is achieved, the difference is breathed in the environment.

From your point of view, what are the leadership styles that most promote the emotional well-being and good mental health of male and female workers?

A "real" boss or director is not a leader based on his position in the company, but based on how he develops his work in the aspect of the relationship of everything, with each and every one of his collaborators. One can be a leader, but not exercise leadership effectively or assertively.

Being a leader is always attractive because of what he represents in front of the human group. In some organizations the leader is the strongest of the tribe, in others he is someone who manipulates emotions with words. human and in the best, is the one who takes care of, directs and balances the objectives of the company and the needs of the components of its team.

The leaders who constantly update themselves, those who are not afraid, those who look around, observe and analyze, in order to make assertive decisions that favor the global nature of the company and the human teams, they are, in my opinion, the leaders of the future.