In this age of cut-throat competition, the influence of emotional intelligence (EI) in predicting employee experience and performance has become significant. Since organizations are now paying more attention to the self and productivity of their employees, the place of emotional management at work has acquired a new meaning and significance. Controlling one’s feelings, comprehending other’s emotions, and managing social interactions with people have been transformed from being a soft skill to an invaluable resource.
Auzmor firmly believes that an employee will only have a satisfactory experience when emotional intelligence is first nurtured at the appropriate level. This piece of writing seeks to explain why emotional intelligence should be prioritized to improve the overall employee experience and; why it is worth the investment, given the broad impact it has on improving the quality of employees on the organization’s performance
What is Emotional Intelligence?
In simpler terms, emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to articulate, comprehend, abide by, and alter foretold emotional states- of oneself and others. It consists of self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, motivation, and social skills. These skills contribute to better teamwork, leadership, conflict management, and stress management at work.
- Self-awareness can be defined as the ability to acknowledge and comprehend the relevance of your feelings and emotions and how such emotions can affect your interactions with other people.
- Self-regulation can also be described as the ability to manage or control your disruptive emotions and behaviors so that you remain objective. In most circumstances, this skill correlates with the fact that you do not respond, but rather, you think and then react.
- Motivation is a strong desire to work for reasons that do not relate only to money or status and an inclination to make an effort toward achieving certain aims.
- Empathy enables you to recognize other people’s feelings and respond to them accordingly.
- Social Skills are the ability to influence or change how relationships evolve.
Through the aid of these five components, people can work effectively in the presence of other people, deal with anxiety, express themselves clearly, and constructively resolve disputes.
Emotional Intelligence Employee Experience
Employee experience refers to the interactions an employee undergoes with their employer, be it recruitment processes and orientation, or lasting through daily activities and offboarding. In this case, the employees’ touchpoints determine the way an individual views his or her responsibilities, status, and surroundings within the company.
A study carried out by TalentSmart found that 90% of the higher performers within the organizations possess high emotional intelligence, hence suggesting that there is a likelihood that emotional intelligence aids in performing in professional settings. Similarly, the research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior confirmed that employees with high emotional intelligence achieve 25% more than their colleagues with low levels of emotional intelligence.
Furthermore, a CareerBuilder survey indicated that an overwhelming 71% of employers preferred emotional intelligence to IQ in hiring and recruitment. These statistics are consistent with the trends in the working environment with emotional intelligence being promoted as a competence that is beneficial to the individual and organizational performance
Through building better relationships, lowering workplace disputes, and fostering an atmosphere of free discussion and self-improvement, emotional intelligence, in turn, improves this experience. Below are some of the benefits employee experience can gain from emotional intelligence:
Enhanced Communication and Collaboration
At work, where emotional intelligence is present, there is ease of communication respectfully and openly. Workers with high emotional intelligence do not only speak out their ideas, feelings, and worries, but they also know how to listen to others. This helps achieve common ground and therefore, teamwork is effortless. In the case of arguments, the likelihood of misunderstandings among the members of the emotionally stable team is low, and if they arise, they are solved without causing tension between the parties.
Improved Conflict Resolution
All workplaces experience disruptions, and how these disruptions are handled contributes to the level of employee satisfaction. According to psychologists, the majority of intelligent people employ high emotional intelligence in conflict; they don’t let emotions take over the argument, and instead see the issue from all perspectives and work toward a resolution that is most constructive for everyone. This also promotes a positive atmosphere in the workplace since employees are safe and appreciated.
Increased Adaptability
Almost everything in today’s workplace is constantly changing. It may be a change in the business strategy of the organization, a change in the technology, or even a change in the organizational structure; the fact remains that there is a need for employees to be flexible. People of high emotional intelligence are better positioned to cope with stress and situational complexity during organizational transformation. They are composed under pressure and can adjust to other people during times of such transition, creating a stable environment in the firm.
Greater Employee Engagement and Motivation
Consider employing workers with exceptional talents in these areas. Working with people who identify with a purpose in their life scope also seems ideal. After all, self-confident individuals would like to do so while contributing to an organization as well. Provided a healthy dose of emotional awareness runs through the veins of the leaders, the emotional needs of the employees will be well taken care of. As a result, this reduces the likelihood of unhappiness at work and maintains high work performance as well as low turnover rates.
Reduced Burnout and Better Mental Health
The most common reason for burnout, however, is chronic workplace stress exposure. Fortunately, people with high levels of emotional intelligence deal with pressure in a better way. They know how to handle feelings and emotions by putting themselves first to a certain degree, making sure they don’t reach the point of extreme emotional exhaustion. Of course, this will mean better emotional well-being, and a much stronger workplace environment as well.
Benefits of Emotional Intelligence for Employees
Emotional intelligence can be beneficial in a lot of areas, from enhancing the performance of employees as individuals to contributing towards a better organizational culture as a whole. For employees, the presence of high emotional intelligence will help them to achieve the following:
- Increased Job Satisfaction: Employees who have effective emotional control and can manage their interpersonal relations with a considerable degree of success are likely to appreciate the work they do.
- Better Team Dynamics: Teams with high emotional intelligence fit into the developmental stages of teams more appropriately since they have good communication, conflicts are managed amicably, and there is encouragement during difficult times.
- Improved Retention Rates: Employees are more likely to stay in an organization in which their perspectives and needs are acknowledged as well as their feelings of support and appreciation.
- Improved Innovation: Such employees are likely to make suggestions and take initiatives that under normal circumstances, are beyond their scope, such as endeavors that aim to bring about positive change to the organization and assist in its growth.
- Enhanced Leadership Skills: A leader with high emotional intelligence can exercise self-control, and understand, and manage emotions which leads to optimum team dynamics and efficient leadership.
How to Cultivate Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace?
It takes willingness on the part of both the leadership and the employees to create emotional intelligence in the workplace. Businesses that consider the development of emotional intelligence as a priority demonstrate improvement in their relationships, their communication processes, and their general performance. The following are some strategies that can help enhance emotional intelligence in the workplace:
Provide Emotional Intelligence Training
Training programs are expected to be key areas of focus in employee training and development practices. Such professionals can improve their self-awareness, their ability to control emotional outbursts, and develop more empathy and social intelligence. Such professional development should focus on practical applications of the skills being learned through e.g. presentation of role models, and self-analyses, as well as group discussions.
In a study by the American Psychological Association, the companies that implemented training in emotional intelligence were able to report team performance-associated improvements of up to 34%. Employees enrolled in these programs experienced less stress, better communication strategies, and conflict management effectiveness creating a positive work climate.
Encourage Self-Reflection
Self-reflection helps employees to be more emotionally intelligent. Self-reflection enables individuals to understand internal drivers as well as strengths and weaknesses within them. Managers provide such feedback, polish those skills, and develop the organization to be self-aware.
Organizations can, however, adopt strategies such as journaling, timeout for feedback, and location to coach during self-reflection. They enable them to keep in touch with their emotional states and help them notice exaggerations that may affect their professional development. Over time, this practice helps to build emotional intelligence as they learn how to manage their emotions.
Promote Open Communication Channels
Emotional intelligence is more likely to develop in individuals working in an environment that is characterized by openness and honesty. Employees should feel free to voice their thoughts, worries, and initiatives without being shunned or fearing any form of harassment. This is because leaders are the ones that create this culture, firstly, through their behavior, and secondly by calling for openness within the team members.
Meetings and regular one-on-one and team informal get-togethers are ways that can enhance two-way communication. Employees who are active and feel appreciated for their efforts are less likely to slack off and do negative things at the company. Two-way communication creates confidence between the members of a team which is a key requirement of high emotional intelligence.
Implement Emotional Intelligence Assessments
To make the practice of emotional intelligence a part of your workplace, you need to assess it. There are instruments designed to measure emotional intelligence, including the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) and the Mayer–Salovey–Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Such measures can aid employees in assessing their current level of emotional intelligence and the abilities they may develop.
Such tools assist practitioners in understanding an employee’s performance regarding emotional management by evaluating particular dimensions such as empathy, self-regulation, and social intelligence. Using these tools, organizations can set personalized development objectives aimed at improving the emotional attributes of staff and the understanding that the institutions will be adopting measures for measuring emotional intelligence such as assessments should be done periodically and the results tracked.
Lead by Example
As managers have the responsibility to set the standards, they have the power to influence the workplace’s emotional intelligence. Employees would do well if their senior employees portray high emotional intelligence which includes having sympathy, controlling their emotions, and speaking on point as such employees are likely to follow these traits. Emotionally intelligent leaders advocate for a culture of respect, cooperative efforts, and a supportive workplace, which contributes to the greater experience of employees.
Even at Auzmor, the leaders practice emotional intelligence where employees are once again encouraged to listen carefully to their fellow employees, provide valuable feedback, and remain present. It not only endears the leader to the member of staff but also compels the employee to carry out similar practices in their interactions with other people.
Create a Supportive Work Environment
When an employee feels protected, appreciated, or trusted, they are in a supportive work environment. This kind of workplace is important in developing emotional intelligence since it allows employees to be vulnerable, share emotions, and support their colleagues without fear of judgment.
To foster and supportive environment, organizations should introduce policies that encourage work-life balance based on flexible working hours, and address mental health as well as employee assistance programs. Furthermore, addressing intelligence emotionally through recognition and responding to it deepens its penetration in the organization. For instance, workers who have empathy and abundant interpersonal interactions can be rewarded during their reviews or acclaimed by peer reviews.
Provide Leadership Development Programs
It is important to prepare emotionally intelligent leaders to secure long-term gains for the performance of the organization. Leadership development programs based on emotional intelligence principles align their leaders with the principles of emotional intelligence in inspiring, motivating, and managing their teams. These programs should incorporate training in the areas of active listening, conflict management, empathy, and stress management.
Emotionally intelligent leaders understand the principles of leadership in a better way as it involves fair decision-making, managing a variety of teams, and implementing a healthy corporate culture. Through leadership development, organizations shall ignite a chain reaction that helps in propagating emotional intelligence across the organization.
Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning
Workers’ emotional intelligence (EI) is a skill that is not fully developed but has growth potential. Organizations should promote a learning atmosphere where employees enhance their emotional intelligence along with their vocational skills. Such training sessions can address these concerns and assist employees in improving their emotional intelligence capabilities.
Moreover, building a workplace learning culture that allows for curiosity, experimentation, and personal growth nurtures employees’ sense of self and the progression in their lives and careers. When employees learn anything, it brings out a growth mindset in them, which is closely related to emotional intelligence.
Conclusion
The employee experience expands considerably with emotional intelligence. Organizations such as Auzmor can build a more diverse, engaged, and thriving workforce, which would improve the organization through stress and burnout mitigation through communication and cooperation.
Developing emotional intelligence is not an easy task, and this word is often misused by people in management as an abstract concept, leaving out the necessary actions from both the leadership and the employees. Self-esteem and reflection, as well as constructive discussion and adequate working conditions, are all components of emotional literacy that should be taught and trained to reveal an organization’s potential and establish an acceptable working environment.
To improve one’s emotional intelligence is to improve one’s work and one’s life in general. Auzmor is one example of an organization that is building a culture that fosters emotional intelligence and at the same time provides employees with a supportive environment.
