30% of Workforce Identified as Highly Sensitive: Insights into Stress, Empathy, and Workplace Adaptation

There are a lot of people in the world that are identified as Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs), meaning that they are affected with slightest changes in their environment. These highly sensitive persons also work in offices and small modifications in their office’s environment or co-worker's mood can bring them to the edge. A new study published in Japanese Journal of Applied Psychology says that most of the highly sensitive persons working in office settings are seen in a negative way because the minimal alteration can tick them off, but they also offer some high advantages in the workplace.

The study says 30% of the total population is based on highly sensitive persons, but they are often overlooked in the work settings. HSPs have different experiences related to empathy and stress in a workplace and that's what makes them a good worker. When there are little changes in the environment, HSPs react quickly no matter if the stimulus is positive or negative. HSPs aren't like people with spectrum disorder or autism because even though they show sensitivity, they show it at normal human levels.

Workplace stress has become a big issue in Japan as well as the rest of the world. Different individuals handle this stress differently and understanding how they process stress at work can help workplaces to make strategies to support them. As 30% of the workers can be identified as HSPs, it means that there are a big portion of people who are super sensitive to stress and can experience high levels of it even with the smallest issue.

For the research, the authors of the study conducted a survey of 270 Japanese professionals working in different industries. There were a lot of workers who scored higher levels of sensitivity, suggesting that they experience more workplace stress. On the other hand, they also showed high levels of empathy in comparison to workers who scored less in sensitivity. The same results were shown after running optimistic and pessimistic personality trait tests on those workers.

The author of the study, Eiichiro Watamura, says that even though HSPs experience high levels of stress, it also means that their tendency to feel empathy can benefit the organizations, especially where interpersonal skills are needed. This study is also for organizations to support the diverse needs of employees and design their organization in a way that every worker feels comfortable. HSPs are proof that your weaknesses can be a great asset if you use them properly.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World