The Emotional Epidemic in the Workplace
Nov 05, 2025In most organisations, the biggest challenge is not strategy or skill. It is emotion.
According to The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book, only 36 per cent of people can accurately identify their emotions as they happen. That means nearly two-thirds of the workforce are being driven by feelings they do not fully understand.
The result is what the authors call an emotional epidemic.
Stress spreads.
Conflict festers.
Communication breaks down.
People withdraw behind polite professionalism while frustration quietly builds.
It is not that people do not care. It is that they have never been taught how to work with emotion.
When Feelings Go Unspoken
Think about your own workplace. How often are emotions acknowledged openly?
When someone is frustrated, tired or overwhelmed, the response is often to ignore it, push through or have another meeting.
But unspoken emotion always leaks out somewhere. It shows up as passive resistance, lack of engagement or that silent tension that everyone feels but no one names.
This is the heart of the elephant in the room.
Why Emotional Intelligence Matters
Emotional intelligence is not a soft skill. It is a success skill. It determines how people handle stress, build relationships and make decisions under pressure.
Teams with high EQ communicate clearly, handle conflict early and recover quickly from setbacks. Leaders with emotional intelligence know how to read the room, motivate others and bring out the best in their people.
This is what the Elephant in the Room Programme at EdgeEQ.com helps organisations to do. It creates emotionally intelligent cultures where people feel heard, valued and understood.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
Ignoring emotional dynamics costs more than lost productivity. It costs trust, health and creativity.
When people feel unseen, they disengage. When leaders suppress emotion, teams lose energy. And when organisations avoid the elephant in the room, the culture slowly erodes from the inside out.
Facing the Elephant Together
The solution is simple, but not always easy. Begin by listening, by noticing, by naming what is really going on.
The moment emotions are acknowledged, connection begins to rebuild.
The future of work belongs to teams that can talk about feelings without fear. That is emotional intelligence in action.
Is your organisation ready to stop avoiding what everyone feels but no one says?
👉 Explore the Programme and discover how Emotional Intelligence can transform tension into trust and collaboration.
Looking to shift how your team shows up?
Check out Elephant in the Room — our signature training programme for teams ready to build trust, speak honestly, and perform at a higher level.
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