Working at UnitedHealth Group, there are many emotions that staff can experience in a day. Have your emotions ever been in the way of your productivity on the job?

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One of UnitedHealth Group's core values is compassion, and they display this in the way they listen, value, and respect all voices. If your role there will be client-facing, you will be working closely with insured members or patients who could be in sickness or financial hardship. While working with them in empathy, their situation can directly impact your emotions. It will be vital for your interviewer to know that you will never let your emotions get in the way of your work, so they pose this question. This is the time to talk about the parts of your previous jobs where letting your emotions get the best of you would have been easy, but you fought through it to work hard and provide great results. Ensure your interviewer that you are aware of what aspects of the job could become emotionally demanding and talk about how you will combat that with UnitedHealth Group.

"No, I have never let my emotions take over my work in the past, and want you to know that I would always remain focused on the task at hand as part of the UnitedHealth Group team. In my career in the family practice setting, I've worked with patients who were suffering from some debilitating conditions, and it was difficult to see areas of their lives impacted by the conditions. I know that my role was to always provide hope and promise through treatments and the patients I worked with relied upon my ability to do so. In this role, maintaining a compassionate and educational approach with patients in tough situations will always be my approach."

Anonymous Answer

"Emotions are a part of everyone's life. At times when my emotions have run high, I have learned that sometimes you need to take 5, just as you would with a challenging child. That prevents emotions from getting in the way of productivity."

Marcie's Feedback

Good idea! Can you talk about a time when your emotions were running high and you took five minutes to cool down? Were you able to regain composure? It's great that you've developed this method to control your emotions while on the job.

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Anonymous Answer

"We are human, so over time, there will be emotions that we bring to work. I have had situations where there is something heavy, and I have managed to deal with this and not let it get in the way, by either taking a short walk to clear my head or taking a coffee break with a friend and then refocusing."

Marcie's Feedback

Great! It sounds like you recognize that everyone has to deal with emotions at times but that you personally have methods in place to handle this (taking a walk or talking to a friend). Other ways that people manage their emotions at work include compartmentalizing, deep breathing, knowing their triggers, avoiding toxic situations, asking for clarification, and reframing the situation. Feel free to mention any of these that apply to you as well. Nice job!

Anonymous Answer

"Working in health care as a whole is emotional. I have experienced emotions from coworkers, clients, and leaders throughout my career, but I have never allowed other people's emotions to negatively affect how I perform my job. When others' emotions are high, I stay calm and listen. I do my job and then respond or ask questions later."

Jaymie's Feedback

Healthcare can be very taxing. From your response, it sounds like you've developed strategies to deal with high-pressure situations and emotional situations and are effective at remaining calm and professional.