Our work with Engineering Resources Limited (ERL) has developed as a journey rather than a single training intervention, combining EQ-i 2.0 emotional intelligence assessments, individual coaching, facilitated peer coaching sessions and team workshops.

The journey began at an individual level. Through EQ-i 2.0 and one-to-one coaching, participants were given the opportunity to understand their emotional intelligence, reflect on how they respond to different situations and consider how their behaviours influence the people around them.

For Kenneth Aquilina, Corporate Services Manager, that opportunity to reflect was one of the most valuable parts of the experience:

“What I appreciated most was being able to reflect on how I act and how I communicate with my colleagues at work.”

From individual reflection, the work gradually moved into the relationships between people. Through facilitated peer coaching and group sessions, colleagues were encouraged to speak more openly, explore different perspectives and work through some of the everyday dynamics that can otherwise remain unspoken.

Melanie Farrugia, HR Coordinator, describes the difference she has experienced over the course of the journey:

“We opened up more with each other, empathised more with each other as colleagues… there is more collaboration and the harmony within the office feels more positive.”

That progression from the individual to the team has been an important part of the programme. Greater self-awareness can help people understand their own reactions and behaviours; bringing that awareness into a shared environment creates opportunities for teams to understand one another differently.

Patrick Gauci, Head of HR & IR, initially questioned how effective this kind of intervention could be. Through his individual sessions, however, he found himself reflecting on his behaviour, his priorities and how he responds to different situations.

He describes the experience as helping him increase his self-awareness, while the team sessions created a space to address smaller differences before they developed into barriers between colleagues.

As Patrick explains:

“If we talk about them rather than sweep them under the carpet, the relationship can be stronger in the long term.”

Across the different stages, the intention has remained the same: not simply to deliver training, but to create structured opportunities for people to pause, reflect, have conversations that might not otherwise happen and translate those insights back into how they work together every day.

Perhaps Melanie captures the experience most simply when reflecting on the decision to invest the time in development:

“You end up asking yourself, why didn’t we do this before?”