Our career coach Saskia Roosen describes highly sensitive employees as the canaries within an organization, a reference to the caged canaries that miners used to take with them into the mines. When dangerous gases were released, the canaries would be the first to die, giving the miners a chance to escape in time.

Highly sensitive employees are, by nature, the “antennas” of a team or organization. Unfavorable conditions or interpersonal tensions? Issues with clients? A highly sensitive colleague will pick up on those signals with great accuracy. And that matters, because it allows problems to be recognized and addressed early on. It’s equally important, however, that highly sensitive individuals are given space, responsibility, and a calm environment within their team or organization. That way, these valuable team players can continue to go to work with a smile.

Around 20% of people are highly sensitive, says Saskia Roosen, who specializes in this subject. It’s an inborn trait, just like your hair or eye color. If you’re highly sensitive, you perceive sensory stimuli (signals) more intensely and with greater nuance. You also need more time to process these stimuli on a deeper level.

Saskia: “Highly sensitive people have a strong sense of responsibility and often carry work-related situations with them for a long time. They also tend to pick up on colleagues’ emotions more easily. If too much is going on at work and they don’t have enough time to process the stress, chronic stress can develop. The stress hormone ‘cortisol’ plays a key role in this. And it can literally make you sick, headaches, nausea, stomach pain, everything hurts, and you sleep poorly. If this isn’t recognized in time, it can eventually lead to burnout.”

Low-stimulus work

“Highly sensitive people tend to set very high standards for themselves and feel a strong sense of responsibility,” Saskia continues. “In my previous role as a team manager, I discovered that some of the employees I supported during their reintegration greatly benefited from a calm workspace with minimal sensory stimuli. These employees were able to function well again and hardly ever relapsed.”
So be mindful of your work environment, Saskia advises. Open-plan offices, for example, can be a nightmare for highly sensitive individuals: there’s constant noise and movement from others, which creates too much sensory input. “Working from home during this Corona period can therefore be a relief for highly sensitive people, provided it is a low-stimulus environment.”

In addition to paying attention to the work environment, it’s also important to have enough moments free from stimuli. For example, make sure to take breaks alone and to stop working on time. It’s essential for a highly sensitive person to recognize overstimulation and to consciously slow down when needed, Saskia explains.
She also advises finding a job where you’re given plenty of responsibility and can work within a small, trusted group. In such a setting, a highly sensitive employee is in the right place and can fully apply their talents to benefit the organization.

Because when the conditions are optimal for a highly sensitive employee, you have someone who works more productively, enjoys their work more, collaborates better with colleagues, takes fewer sick days, and contributes their full potential to the success of the organization!

Want to learn more about high sensitivity in relation to work? At Dynamisch Bureau, several career coaches specialize in high sensitivity. They are happy to support you through Personal Coaching, Outplacement of Second Track Reintegration.