Prioritizing the well-being of work team members is crucial for boosting their productivity and cultivating a harmonious team environment. Let’s delve into the offerings of Hermes’ Talent Care, designed to nurture and support the development of talents with wings.
The impact of Hermes’ Talent Care on elevating team performance
Unlocking the secret to successful team management becomes imperative in a world increasingly governed by technology, where artificial intelligence and algorithms are poised to play a dominant role. It might be tempting to view the human element as secondary in this digital landscape.
Yet, it’s vital to remember that behind every machine are extraordinary individuals—men and women of exceptional talent. Despite their technical prowess and analytical skills, they are, at their core, people with hearts, emotions, feelings, and fears, just like anyone else. Acknowledging and supporting this human aspect is what truly drives performance and innovation, ensuring a balanced and thriving workplace.
At Hermes, we fully recognize the worth of each individual, which is why we have instituted our growth program named “Talent Care”, aimed at cultivating all the less technical, yet equally vital soft skills.
Empathy: the “E” in our “A.G.A.P.E.” model
“AGAPE” is a clever wordplay that encapsulates the core values of Hermes. The ancient Greek term ‘Agape’ translates to “immeasurable and unconditional love”, while our crafted acronym highlights the critical elements underpinning our business model.
Today, we turn our attention specifically to the last letter, the “E”, which stands for empathy.
Empathy is defined as “the ability to place oneself in another person’s situation, or more precisely, to immediately comprehend the mental processes of the other person“.
In the context of Hermes, this crucial concept is further enriched with the capacity to swiftly attend to one’s own needs as well as those of others, fostering a supportive and understanding work environment.
This ability is far from being an insignificant detail; it is a vital component for establishing any effective, healthy, and enduring relationship.
Empathy stands as one of those indispensable soft skills that play a critical role in daily interactions and must accompany technical proficiency. Each is rendered futile without the other.
Certainly, an individual’s personality traits do come into play; however, the encouraging news is that empathy can be cultivated and enhanced, even from the ground up, with the right training.
This is precisely why, at Hermes, we have started a personal empowerment development program, aiming to teach our talents how to continually progress in this aspect as well.
The 3 steps for the success of our partnership
In alignment with market demands and our corporate values, we can succinctly distill the essence of Hermes’ operations into three pivotal steps:
- Talent acquisition: the initial phase involves bringing digital talent in-house, meticulously selecting individuals who exhibit comprehensive professionalism from a technical standpoint.
- Growth and development: following that, we emphasize nurturing the development of these talents, focusing on both their technical acumen and personal growth (facilitated through Talent Care training initiatives).
Empowering ambassadors: in the final stage, each talent evolves into an ambassador, proficient in disseminating the Hermes work model and philosophy. They collaborate with partner companies, seamlessly blending technical excellence with interpersonal and communicative prowess.
The prevailing stereotype has often painted technical talents as somewhat nerdy, introverted, and socially awkward. However, it’s crucial not to base assessments on stereotypes. In fact, the first crucial step in making sense of both group and individual activities is conducting a thorough analysis and evaluation of each talent’s personality traits, considering this as “Phase 0” of the entire program.The activities designed in the Talent Care program aim precisely at debunking this stereotype and assisting individuals in unleashing their full potential when necessary.
Giulia Sbaragli, psycholinguist specialized in Work and Human Resources Psychology, serves as the Relationship Manager responsible for the Talent Care program in Hermes. She is tasked with organizing and scheduling regular training and empowerment sessions, catering both to groups and individual team members.
The goal is to address the needs of both the team and the individual, striving to find the optimal balance and provide support wherever necessary. This is achieved through exercises and sessions dedicated to developing communication and relationship skills.
A talented individual who can interact empathetically is a far more valuable asset than a misunderstood genius. Those who can relate empathetically to both their team and clients play a pivotal role in the success of a project and contribute significantly to the holistic growth of the organization.
Hermes’ Talent Care Activities
The real success of the empowerment program launched by Talent Care lies in its innovative approach: taking psychology out of the traditional setting and applying it directly to support both the workforce and the organization. In today’s world, work is a constant source of stress, and an individual with unstable emotions will undoubtedly be unproductive and detrimental to the team.
Our sessions encompass a variety of activities, not just aimed at maintaining a general psychological equilibrium, but also at enhancing stress tolerance and management capabilities through specific exercises. Positive psychology now plays a critical role, focusing not just on resolving problematic situations but also on fostering continuous personal and professional growth.
Traditionally, corporate support programs have only addressed an individual’s behavior in relation to their environment. However, it is crucial to approach psychology dynamically, taking into consideration emotional and affective aspects, as these are often the catalysts for problematic situations. Identifying and addressing unconscious aspects requires the expertise of a professional, and it is only through this process that an individual can truly improve their personal and working conditions.
Empathy is a vital skill in the consulting field, making it essential to enhance the relational abilities of each team member through effective communication and language skills, both on an individual level and within a group. Our Team Building sessions include group activities and gamification activities, encouraging participants to cooperate and build relationships in a light-hearted and almost subconscious manner.
For individual sessions, we offer exercises to manage work-related stress, as well as practices like mindfulness and rapid hypnosis, helping to clear the mind and eliminate negative emotions. These activities are not only a crucial part of training for every member of Hermes but are also available to individuals from partner organizations.
It has been proven that participation in empowerment sessions is invaluable, significantly benefiting both individual and corporate well-being. Major companies are realizing the importance of investing in personal growth programs, understanding that the well-being of an individual directly impacts their performance within the organization and enhances the overall quality of work.
Developing these soft skills and maintaining a stable emotional balance is crucial, especially when working in partnerships and integrating external resources into an already established environment. Here at Hermes, we place the utmost importance on our talents, ensuring they receive the best possible training, not just professionally but also from a personal and emotional standpoint.
