The benefits of emotional intelligence at work

How can we improve emotional stability in companies?

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a powerful indicator of the level of satisfaction and success in life and at work.. It can be defined as the ability to identify, understand and regulate one's own emotions and those of others. That is, it is the ability to manage emotions well. Both our own and those of others.

Since Daniel Goleman made this concept famous, the study of feelings and emotions has taken off. The tensions of modern life, the great competition in the personal and work field, stress and the demand for constant professional improvement, among other factors, contribute to altering the emotional state of the individual, contribute to alter the emotional state of most individuals and their well-being..

Emotional intelligence and professional development

Therefore, emotional intelligence is closely related to emotional balance. This balance not only affects personal life, but is also important for work and professional development. In other words, emotional intelligence plays a fundamental role in the work environment..

Within the organization, emotional intelligence is beneficial for job satisfaction, for better leadership of superiors, for reducing stress, for working in a team, and so on. Fortunately, it is possible to learn the emotional skills that provide benefits on a personal and work level and that, in addition, allow better organizational results.

Emotional intelligence in companies

Individual and collective emotional intelligence affects the organization in positive and negative ways. Organizations in which their employees have a high level of emotional intelligence experience greater employee engagement. On the other hand, companies in which their employees have a low level of EI have higher employee turnover, higher levels of burnout, lower productivity and lower sales.In contrast, companies with low EI have higher employee turnover, higher levels of burnout, lower productivity and lower sales.

But, in addition, the negative behavior of co-workers and superiors (e.g., fights, bad moods, etc.) also increases when there is a low level of emotional intelligence in the organization, which causes a work environment that favors stress and burnout.

Self-awareness and self-regulation: two key competencies in the work environment

The self-knowledge o self-awareness is a skill that positively affects self-confidence and success in the workplace. In addition, allows an individual to evaluate his or her values and belief system.The self-knowledge also allows one to evaluate one's strengths and weaknesses, since in many occasions limiting beliefs interfere in the potential and professional development. Self-knowledge also allows one to evaluate one's strengths and weaknesses.

On the other hand, emotional self-regulation is extremely important in different areas of work, and in short, it is necessary for emotional control, confidence and initiative. It is also essential, for example, for executives to make difficult decisions.

Benefits of emotional intelligence at work

Assessing the emotional intelligence of employees can be beneficial to a company for many reasons. 

In addition to those we have already mentioned, below we explain other benefits and advantages of promoting emotional intelligence at work.

Increased productivity

The same study revealed that 10% of the research subjects with a higher level of emotional intelligence performed better at work than those with a lower level of EI. than those with a lower level of EI.

Another study conducted by a Dallas company, which evaluated the emotional intelligence of all its workers, concluded that those with higher EI scores were up to 25% more productive than those with lower scores.

2. More sales

In a study by Fortune magazine revealed that an a study by Fortune magazine revealed that salespeople with a high level of emotional intelligence were able to sell up to 50% more than those with low EI. than those with a low level of EI.

3. Employee stability

A company in the prestigious Fortune 500which used personality assessment for years in an attempt to reduce its high turnover in its sales force, realized that this strategy was ineffective. Then, by implementing the EI assessment, which includes topics such as stress management, self-awareness or social skills, was able to reduce its high turnover by up to 67%.. The company estimates that it has saved more than $30 million as a result.

4. Worker satisfaction

A bank was forced to reduce its staff by 30% due to the recent economic crisis. The level of emotional intelligence of the remaining workers was evaluated to place workers in positions in the organizational structure according to the results. As a result, the bank performed better with fewer staff, and workers reported being happier in their new positions..

5. Improved handling of difficult situations

Two studies, one in a retail retail company and another in a construction company, showed that workers with high EI scores handled difficult situations better and suffered fewer accidents at work. and suffered fewer accidents at work.

6. Better customer service

A luxury car retailer that focused its entire marketing plan on customer experience was expanding and wanted to hire the right employees to do the job of providing the best possible customer service. In the recruitment process, IE assessment was used to select candidates with the best profile. One year later the company was ranked in the top 10% of automotive companies with the highest ratings..

7. Improve organizational communication

A Towers Watson study concluded that EI improves communication with employeesThis has a positive impact on the company's bottom line.