The verdict is in: there is a strong correlation between emotional intelligence (EI) and employee engagement. This is according to the Harvard Business Review, the World Economic Forum, a study by the University of Maryland, and many others. What was previously a topic that was unconsidered in the business environment because it was “soft and fluffy” has now proven to impact organisations’ bottom lines.
With such a significant impact of employee engagement on business performance, the emotional intelligence of teams and those in leadership positions becomes vital to understand.
That’s exactly what this article explores. Keep reading to learn more.
Understanding Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence in the context of organisations refers to an ability — both inherent, learned, and developed over time — that enables individuals in professional teams (including leaders) to first recognise their own emotions and manage them.
Apart from having a deeper understanding of the self, emotional intelligence is also about recognising, understanding and influencing the emotions of others.
Components of emotional intelligence
It’s essential to consider the five dimensions or components of emotional intelligence, while bearing in mind that they do not work in isolation from each other.
- Self-awareness: In the context of emotional intelligence, it is about a deep mindfulness of one’s emotions and how different experiences shape them. It’s also about our responses to these emotions and whether we bury them or actively acknowledge them without judgment.
- Self-regulation: It’s about how you deal with emotions that counts. There are constructive and non-constructive ways to deal with emotions, with the latter being strengthened by assertiveness that aims to resolve conflicts and difficult situations in a productive manner. Non-constructive ways of handling difficult emotions can be shutting down, not communicating, acting out in a passive-aggressive way and others.
- Motivation: Motivation in the context of emotional intelligence is the inner drive to succeed in a given situation or achieve a goal. It’s also about making it possible for others to thrive by noticing and acknowledging their strengths, while giving them opportunities for further improvement and development that ensures teams are cohesive, function well and that they trust each other to achieve a shared goal.
- Empathy: Another critical component of emotional intelligence is empathy. It’s about fostering an active mindset that aims to deeply understand another person’s situation or emotions to facilitate cognisance through compassion. It’s not always about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes but it is about actively aiming to understand their situation without judgment and with a human-first, compassionate approach.
- Social skills: Finally, emotional intelligence is about developing and honing one’s social skills. These include skills such as: open and honest communication, collaboration, engaging in active listening, being non-judgmental, being polite and professional, maintaining eye contact during conversations and displaying basic manners, displaying mutual respect, being patient and positive and creating a warm culture of caring.
The four pillars of emotional engagement
Apart from the five components of emotional intelligence, let’s explore four critical ways in which emotional engagement in the workplace can be achieved. These approaches apply to both in-office and remote work environments. The four pillars, according to Nita Clarke and David MacLeod, outlined below are excellent for keeping employees engaged, happy and active at work.
- Employee voice: Choose a single communication channel to gather employee feedback regularly while keeping it anonymous. It’s a great way to keep a finger on the pulse of how your team members truly feel.
- Integrity: Integrity is about making promises and keeping your word. It’s about fostering open communication and dialogue where transparency is key. Integrity is also about discussing challenges openly and finding solutions together.
- Strategic narrative: The organisation’s mission, vision and goals should be key drivers of communication. This strategic narrative should permeate every aspect of communication to ensure every team member is on the same page.
- Engaging managers: Managers who take the time to speak and listen to their team members will lead more successful teams than those who don’t. It’s about introducing a level of informality in conversations and encouraging a personal approach.
To discover the ways in which these four pillars can help your organisation in practice, take a look at the benefits of EI in the workplace section below.
The Connection Between EI and Employee Engagement
A myriad of studies have been carried out that show employee engagement is quite low around the world. What does this translate into? A few examples include: high absenteeism, low retention rates, low levels of trust, mistakes, poor customer service, etc.
On the other hand, the more engaged employees are and the more they feel heard and a part of the team, the better their performance will be. Strong employee performance has direct benefits for an organisation’s bottom line—both in terms of how customers are served, and in terms of achieving business goals in a proactive and positive manner.
As such, a boost in employee engagement is said to be directly linked to emotional intelligence because the higher the emotional intelligence of a team and/or leader, the more engaged they will be.
Benefits of EI in the Workplace
The benefits of emotional intelligence in the workplace are undeniable. They lead to critical advantages such as:
- Enhanced communication for more productive work
- Better conflict resolution
- Increased employee satisfaction
- Improved well-being at work
How to Develop Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
Developing emotional intelligence in the workplace is an achievable objective that requires an ongoing approach. There are three main routes you can follow: training programmes, investing in leadership development and creating a supportive environment. Let’s explore each of these in more detail.
training programmes
It’s strongly recommended that you train your employees to enhance their emotional intelligence. This training can help them become better listeners and communicators.
An online or in-person training presentation focused on emotional intelligence can serve as a powerful tool to convey key concepts, demonstrate real-life scenarios and engage employees in interactive learning.
Examples of types of training and learning your employees can participate in include mindfulness exercises, breathing techniques, journalling for greater self-awareness, being given different scenarios to solve, stress management, emotional regulation, etc.
However, make sure that there is organisation-wide support for such training to take place. You’ll need support from both your organisation’s leadership, managers, human resources department and other relevant stakeholders.
Training can be done once-off or on an ongoing basis. It’s advisable that it is carried out periodically, however. The reason is that it acts as a great reminder of best practices and an opportunity for continuous learning and improvement. Many organisations offer emotional intelligence training programmes for employees. It’s a matter of finding a provider that’s aligned with your organisational objectives.
One of the major advantages is that your staff will feel more confident being a part of a team that they trust and want to contribute to. So, don’t overlook the importance of training programmes for your employees.
leadership development
Another area that you can focus on is leadership development. Make sure you identify the leaders in your organisation and ensure that they spend some focused time with a coach or a mentor who can help them develop and enhance their emotional intelligence for greater leadership abilities.
Often, EI leadership training focuses on skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. By training your leaders or having them mentored or coached, they’ll be asked thought-provoking questions to which they’ll need to find creative solutions.
Through such training, leaders also learn how to better manage team dynamics and motivation as well as relationship building.
creation of a supportive environment
Finally, it’s about teams and leaders working together, with everyone involved feeling heard, with their own employee voice, in a supportive environment.
Start by clearly defining your organisation’s mission and vision around supporting each other. Whether it’s in the onboarding process for new employees or for current staff members, be sure to constantly promote collaboration through clear communication.
Encourage a good work-life balance by setting an example from the top. In some cases, it may be a good ideat to offer flexible work arrangements. Make sure you recognise and reward your employees’ achievements and create opportunities for growth by setting clear and achievable goals. There’s also something to be said about improving the workplace ambiance by making it comfortable and inviting for your employees.
Avoid micromanagement at all costs and give your team and leaders the space to thrive by encouraging their active participation. It’s not always about accepting every idea but it is about creating an enabling environment where everyone feels they can contribute and feel heard.
Leaders and managers should regularly check-in with their staff on a personal level to discover new developments in their lives that may be impacting their work performance.
Meanwhile, employees should be encouraged to provide honest feedback without negative repercussions. This feedback should be used to learn and grow from. Regular feedback mechanisms should be a part of your organisation, too. Make it a point to encourage new ideas and autonomous decision-making.
Investing in professional development and facilitating opportunities for learning will go a long way to helping teams and leaders thrive while developing a strong and inclusive workplace culture.
Measuring the Impact of EI on Engagement
If you aren’t convinced yet that emotional intelligence can have a major positive impact on your business, there are a few surefire ways to prove it to yourself. The saying “what gets measured gets managed” has never been more apt. Wondering what metrics to consider as you try to evaluate the outcomes of your emotional intelligence training programmes for your organisation’s leaders and employees? Consider some of the following ideas to help guide you:
- Carry out short Net Promoter Score surveys to determine how likely your employees are to recommend your business.
- Keep an eye out for employee retention and turnover rates.
- Monitor employee absenteeism.
- Measure employee performance against predetermined key performance indicators.
- Observe customer experience and satisfaction rates.
- Examine your business’ bottom line to see if you are experiencing hikes in turnover or profitability over a given period.
Additionally, incorporating robust hiring tracking systems can ensure that the right individuals with high emotional intelligence are recruited, leading to a more engaged and productive workforce.
A key aspect that is expected to revolutionise how employee engagement is measured is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Multiple AI tools available on the market can help leaders and human resource professionals carry out personalised surveys and collect data in real time.
Whether it’s through sentiment analysis that analyses surveys, social media posts or other types of employee engagement channels, the future of AI in measuring employee engagement should not be overlooked.
Conclusion
Wrapping up, it’s clear that emotional intelligence and employee engagement are inextricably linked. Investing in developing EI will empower your teams to give their very best while wanting to do so.
Fostering a culture of care and a supportive environment where employees feel heard and where they thrive is an excellent indicator that your organisation is on the path of success.
Author: Velislava Georgieva – Outreach Specialist, InBound Blogging
Photo credit: Jopwell on Pexels
