Develop and use emotional intelligence:

Scenario:

BD Corp Ltd provides support services (for example accommodation services and academic support) to international students studying at various colleges in Melbourne.

You have recently been appointed as the new Manager of the Customer Services Department and your team consists of:

Jenny - 38-year old female, 15 years' experience in the company - starting as a clerk, and then working her way up the ladder to become a respected customer service officer.Jenny has a wealth of knowledge in relation to company services, products and processes, and is often called on by others to help in complex or difficult situations.

Alan - 44-year old male, 4 years of customer service experience.Prior to commencing with BD Corp Ltd, Alan worked as a sign-writer for 15 years, but had experience in providing home-stay accommodation to 8 international students over 6 years.

Sheela - 27-year old female who came to Australia from India 7 years ago, completed a Diploma of Counselling course as an international student, and is now a permanent resident. Sheela has worked for BD Corp Ltd for 2 years

Recently, BD Corp Ltd has been experiencing a substantial increase in the number of students contacting the company for support services. Previously, the workload was fairly light and the team had plenty of time to chat during the day. Now there is not enough time to chat for even 5 minutes. You notice the following:

Jenny - seems to be taking the increased workload in her stride, and looks like she is coping well. However, she seems to be making more errors than before and sometimes forgets things.

Alan - has not complained at all.In fact, he seems to enjoy the hectic workload. As long as he gets his 30-minute smoke break, he seems happy.

Sheela has lost her enthusiasm. She also keeps comparing herself to Alan and seems to be focused on his achievements rather than her own successes.

Question: What actions would you take to manage the emotional intelligence of your team and provide a positive working environment?