Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: Why It Matters
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Emotional intelligence (EI), or emotional quotient (EQ), is someone’s ability to assess and manage the emotions of the people around them. Not only is this an essential part of behavior in the workplace, but it is an essential part of our behavior as humans.
In today’s job market, the majority of companies rely on remote work. Teams use platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, and more to collaborate across countries, time zones, and even continents. This hyper-collaborative, team-focused environment is why emotional intelligence is important.
It is the responsibility of employers and organizations to build an element of emotional intelligence in the workplace into their overall corporate culture. Training to establish and improve employee emotional quotient (EQ) should be easily available to employees of all levels in all departments.
Improving emotional intelligence at work ultimately improves the company as a whole. Understanding co-workers unifies the team on a new, closer-knit level. The result is a team that can get more done efficiently.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EI) is a person’s ability to assess, understand, process, reason with, and manage the emotional states of people around them. In the corporate environment, HR staff and managers occasionally refer to this skill as an emotional quotient.
Leading psychological researchers on the subject, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, take the definition of emotional intelligence another step: As experts in their field, they assert that emotional intelligence goes deeper than understanding the emotions of co-workers. It also means understanding the emotions within oneself.
Mayer and Salovey break emotional intelligence down into four main stages:
Traditionally, emotions and intelligence constitute opposite forces. Sayings like, “Where emotions are high, logic is low,” was the framework for the sentiments of the time. That is no longer the case.
Recent research into emotional psychology, like the work of Salovey and Mayer, shows that these two concepts relate more closely than thought. The ideas of cognition and affect are becoming increasingly popular areas of research.
Scientists are beginning to explore more deeply how cognition and emotions interact with each other to influence the overall human thought process. Understanding how a person’s current mood – whether happy, sad, afraid, or angry – affects decision-making and behavior is important to solving the overall puzzle of emotional intelligence.
Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important in the Workplace?
In the mid-1990s, author Daniel Goleman was responsible for a landmark book about emotional intelligence – Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. This book marks the start of the corporate world’s interest in emotional intelligence.
Since then, hours of research have gone into the subject. Hard evidence from these studies further proves the benefits of using emotional intelligence in the workplace.
Researchers began to see a direct correlation between scores on emotional intelligence tests and performance in the workplace. Those with higher scores on EQ testing usually exhibit stronger, more positive interpersonal relationships with their co-workers. These employees also show better leadership qualities and an innate ability to handle stress management – all things employers would want to see in an exemplary employee.
Goleman proposes in his book that an employee or manager’s IQ (their traditional intelligence) is not enough. Successful employees are “smart” in the traditional sense but also have an in-depth understanding of how to deal with those around them.
Today, corporations hold a much different view on EQ than in the past. Initially, corporations felt EQ was only necessary for CEOs, managers, and senior-level employees. However, we now know that even at the entry level, employees need to manage and understand the emotions of people around them. Contemporary employers can benefit from introducing the smaller components of EQ, like the five main elements, early and often.
The 5 Elements of Emotional Intelligence
The concept of emotional intelligence may seem simple enough on the surface but putting it into practice in the workplace is another story entirely. Collaboration and teamwork are the main goals here, but it is important to note that not all personalities interact well in a workplace setting.
While that may be the case, it is still important that these employees still understand and respect each other’s perspectives enough to work together daily. Therefore, emotional intelligence does not just include teamwork. It also contains elements of conflict management and resolution.
Understanding the key elements of emotional intelligence enables employees to apply them in several situations – positive or otherwise.
1. Self-Awareness
True emotional intelligence takes more than just recognizing and managing the emotions of others. It starts with you.
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Take stock of emotional strengths and weaknesses. Are there any emotions you experience routinely? If so, what are some ways to effectively deal with these feelings?
No one is perfect. It is important to recognize weaknesses and find productive ways to deal with them. Also, remember that emotions are temporary. Sometimes, the best thing to do is take a step back from a situation before making hasty judgments or decisions.
2. Self-Regulation
Once employees recognize their emotions, the next step is to regulate them. What methods can you implement in the workplace to work through emotions in a healthy way?
Meditation, stretching, and breathing exercises are a few popular techniques with global corporations. Experts say that having healthy hobbies outside work is an additional way to process emotions positively. It also helps to remember that some things in our work environment are beyond our control. Think of ways to respond in the moment that do not escalate the situation and preserve a healthy work environment.
Self-regulation is not the bottling of emotions. Expression is part of processing these feelings. People with healthy self-regulation skills find the appropriate way and time to divulge these feelings and refrain from rash, impulsive reactions.
3. Motivation
How far an employee goes in their career is directly proportional to their attitude toward work. Maintaining a positive attitude is one of the best ways to foster emotional intelligence and preserve a healthy workplace environment.
Focus on what makes work enjoyable. This could be a feeling of personal achievement when a project ends or a rewarding feeling after consulting clients and seeing them succeed. Recognize these positive feelings as they occur and draw on them for inspiration and motivation during low emotional times.
4. Empathy
Viewing another co-worker as an equal can put employees in the perfect frame of mind for emotional intelligence.
Take time to consider another person’s perspective. Pause and reflect on how they might feel, and carefully consider your responses when they make a comment or suggestion. Ultimately, considering and supporting others goes a long way toward achieving mutual goals in the workplace.
5. Social Skills
Employees with high emotional intelligence or EQ also display above-average social skills. Since they are highly skilled at recognizing the feelings of others, it also puts them in a position to respond accordingly to any social situation.
However, social skills are precisely that – skills. It is not a situation of “you either have it, or you don’t.” The skills necessary to adeptly deal with others are learnable.
There are a few paths to improve these skills. For starters, take more time to focus and listen.
Psychologists proved that most people are just thinking about what to say next as they “listen” to someone else. Actively listening means focusing on what the other person is saying, providing thoughtful feedback, and asking questions.
Taking the time to do so exhibits care and passion for collaborating with other team members. It also lends a much deeper understanding of where others are coming from – further improving emotional intelligence. In addition to being better listeners, employees with high EQ avoid drama, pay attention to their co-workers’ non-verbal cues, and have above-average persuasion abilities.
Building Emotional Intelligence
No matter where an organization is on the emotional intelligence scale, there is always hope. EQ is a learnable and buildable skill attainable by employees at any level.
EQ Intelligence Key Takeaways:
(Reporting by NPD)