Managing high-emotion workplaces

In workplaces where staff are exposed to higher levels of emotional distress from clients, the pressures upon HR are amplified. Here, we unpack how to manage those pressures and better support the workforce.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Resolve Divorce human resources manager Rebecca Kennedy about what it’s like to manage the HR function of a family law firm, her perception of the challenges facing HR in 2026, how the role will shift in these 12 months, what constitutes a high-emotion workplace, and how such environments can amplify the pressure on HR.

Kennedy also delves into the issues that HR must grapple with in high-emotion workplaces, managing those issues alongside upskilling in new technologies and AI, taking a deliberate approach to such emotional workplaces, the need for proactivity, why proper management is so essential right now, practical steps that HR can and should take, and the need for a “bottom-up” approach, and what she’s learnt about herself – personally and professionally – from managing a high-emotion workplace.

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