Emotional Intelligence In The Workplace: Why Is It Important?

Emotional intelligence, even emotional intelligence in the workplace, is a topic that is much debated even outside the field. General intelligence tells us about our ability to solve problems in a logical way. On the other hand, emotional intelligence is related to our ability to understand and deal with our own emotions and the feelings of other people.

Although we can use these skills in many different situations , it is especially important to be emotionally intelligent in the workplace. People who have chosen to introduce this in a work context, experience great improvement both in job satisfaction and in their relationship with colleagues. Some experts claim that being emotionally intelligent is the key to a higher income.

In today’s article, we will teach you how to use emotional intelligence in the workplace by focusing on three main elements: job search, professional performance and leadership. 

Before we dive into this topic, let’s talk a little more about what emotional intelligence really is and what this entails.

What is emotional intelligence?

Goleman, the founder of this definition, believed that it was composed of five different skills:

• Self-awareness : the ability to understand your own feelings and your own mood. In addition, it means that you know who you are, as well as what values, goals and abilities you have.
• Self-control: the ability to control your own emotions. This way, you can use the emotions to your advantage, and not fight against them.
• Motivation: the ability to set demanding goals and focus on achieving them despite adversity.

• Empathy: also known as the ability to understand other people’s feelings and needs. Sometimes we can describe empathy by saying “being in someone’s shoes”.
• Social skills: a set of skills that can help you relate to others in a more effective way. This includes abilities such as leadership, persuasion and social intuition.

These five elements are essential for the development of emotional intelligence in the workplace. However, some of them will be more useful than others, depending on the situation.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace: how to use it in the job search process?

If you are going to introduce emotional intelligence in the workplace, it is important that you have it in place in advance. Emotional intelligence is a basic skill when applying for a new job. 

In today’s society, it is not just your skills that determine whether you get an “interesting job”. Empathy – the way you choose to communicate and your social skills will be the reason for success at work. Due to intense competition in the job market today, the decisions made by the human resources department should be more emotion-based (theirs and your emotions) than just a clear focus on the resume.

Self-regulation is also a key factor when looking for a job.  Without this, it can be very difficult for you to look ahead after you have experienced downturns. You will lose motivation and it will be even harder for you to find a job you like.

Emotional intelligence in the workplace itself

The use of emotional intelligence does not stop at once you get the job. In fact, it is quite the opposite. In challenging environments such as modern companies, the skills we have previously talked about are absolutely crucial. They are not only important in relation to your performance, but also in relation to your well-being. 

A survey shows that 30% of workers in Spain are dissatisfied with their job. Even though this number is within the average, it is still quite high. There are many factors that can come into play here, but there is no doubt that the lack of emotional intelligence is one of them.

• How can you be able to choose a job you want to enjoy if you do not understand yourself? (Self-understanding)
• When something goes wrong, do you want to let apathy take control of your life, or do you want to look ahead? (Self-regulation, motivation).
• Do you have the ability to understand your colleagues and have a good relationship with them even if you are different from each other? (Empathy, social skills).

Emotional intelligence for leaders

Finally:  what would happen if you were the leader of a working group? One would think that they were the ones who should be emotionally intelligent, right?

Well, you’re wrong. The skills that a manager has in relation to motivation and understanding of his employees are the key to a good working environment. Without these, leadership will not work well enough and this in turn can lead to quarrels between colleagues.