emotional intelligence in the workplace: Fostering emotional intelligence at work to enhance productivity and a healthy self

Emotional intelligence is one of the most important assets we have as human beings. We have a long way to go in our understanding of intelligence. Surely, it has moved far away from plain and simple IQ testing. However, Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to have taken precedence over Emotional Intelligence (EI).

This may have especially become prominent in the workplace. Employees are thriving on productivity, but at the same time, they are experiencing burnout. Is there a solution to this? Fostering emotional health at work can be one of the biggest tools for your mental health.

The benefits exist not only for the individual but also for everyone on the team. Interestingly, you can take small steps to enhance this intelligence and improve your quality of work.

What does your environment look like? Is it conducive to your inner growth? (Image via Pexels/ Ivan Samkov)

The importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace

All types of intelligence are important. (Image via Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware, recognize, and manage emotions in oneself and others. Whether you work from home or in the office, we are constantly dealing with emotions and thoughts.

When employees are stressed or experiencing burnout syndrome, it has a direct impact on their communication. A lot of times, superiors feel frustrated at their juniors and may display aggressive forms of communication to get work done.

At the end of the day, this has negative effects on everyone at the workplace. Emotionally intelligent employees know what and when to speak and remain clear about how their emotions are affecting their communication.

This also comes in handy during conflicts and helps regulate their nervous system. If you are feeling stressed and exhausted, you may end up experiencing a mental breakdown. Emotional intelligence serves as a buffer against these and helps you deal with a volatile environment.

What can be done to introduce EI culture in the workplace?

It all starts with a conversation. (Image via. Pexels/ Alexander Suhorucov)

Building a culture of emotional intelligence takes time and effort, but it all begins with a conversation. Just like mental health, it can take some time for people to understand that emotional health exists as well. The next step is doing an emotional check-in with yourself. A few questions that you can ask yourself are:

How do you feel before, during, and after you finish your work?
Are you able to set work-life boundaries?
Has everything been feeling too hard recently?
Do you snap or get irritated easily?

These are only a few questions that may indicate how you have been doing. Emotional intelligence is becoming aware of your internal state and doing something to make it better.

Some companies also introduce Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that help to regularly check in with employees to assess and improve their mental health. This fosters a general feeling that employers care about them and not just the work being done. A red flag for you is that a company is not interested in fostering your emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is like empathy and other psychological skills. We are all born with a certain capacity to display it, but we need to sharpen it every now and then. This is also when you can reach out to a mental health professional.

You can also seek therapy when you want to enhance your skills and underlying abilities. This helps you build an environment in which you enjoy as well as thrive.

Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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