Emotional intelligence at work

L'intelligence émotionnelle dans les entreprises fait référence à la capacité d'une organisation, ainsi que de ses employés individuels, à reconnaître, comprendre, gérer et utiliser efficacement les émotions.

When we talk about emotional intelligence at work, we simply mean the ability of people working in a company to manage their emotions. In order to be able to manage our emotions properly, we must have:

1. Self-awareness. In other words, to understand how emotions work in our bodies. The same level of stress can affect one person differently than it affects another.
2. Self-monitoring. The ability to control emotions when they overflow and thus avoid making mistakes we might later regret.
3. Self-motivation. Using our emotions to achieve the goals we have set ourselves.
4. Empathy. Being able to know what other people are feeling. This is particularly relevant in both the internal environment and customer service.

People who have high levels in these areas are people with good emotional intelligence.

What role do emotions play in the workplace?

As we discussed in the previous point, emotional intelligence at work, and more specifically empathy, are essential for generating a good work environment.

We could say that the work environment is the water in which our employees are immersed:

• If it boils, meaning if it's heated, our employees' emotions will run wild and could lead to dangerous outcomes.
• If it's too cold, our employees' emotions will barely stir and there will be no motivation.

Ideally, the work environment should be kept at a «good temperature», meaning it allows emotions to emerge and flow without becoming uncontrolled. This is how we will truly achieve happy and motivated employees.

How does emotional intelligence affect a company's operations?

When we do not reach our objective the first time, it is common for us to become frustrated and let's discourage. Unless we are well trained in our emotional intelligence at work, in which case we can draw on our emotional intelligence. coping skills, resilience, and self-motivation to continue persevering with enthusiasm until we have achieved what we set out to do.

In this respect, it is important for the human resources department to closely monitor employee motivation levels and encourage them when spirits are low. If they give up, the objective will never be achieved and that can affect a company's operations.

Emotional intelligence and talent retention

With regard to emotional intelligence in the workplace and to Talent retention, We must say that emotions are incredibly determining when it comes to an employee deciding whether to continue working for our company or to leave us for another.

To prevent this from happening, we must keep our workers' emotions and motivation running. Some tips to achieve this are as follows:

• Provide extrinsic motivators and incentives that show them you care about their well-being.. For example, ticket restaurant. Thanks to it, your workers will see that you have gone to the trouble of making their daily meals easier and allowing them to save money on them, which will, of course, be beneficial for talent retention within your company.
• Create spaces for interaction where human relationships can be forged. and for the work environment to become warmer. For example, rest areas, play areas, or a coffee shop.
• Contribute to your employees' knowledge of emotional intelligence at work through coaching or small training pills.

Following this advice, you will see how emotional intelligence at work provides the company with many more benefits.

How to develop emotional intelligence in the company?

In order to develop emotional intelligence in the company, it is necessary to know what the level is and what the organisation's strengths and weaknesses are in this area.. Self-awareness is the basis of emotional intelligence at both the individual and organisational level. You cannot grow and develop something unless you are aware of it and know the root causes. Fortunately, there are several Ways to assess a company's situation in terms of emotional intelligence.

Using ongoing surveys, including questions based on this aspect in evaluations, creating focus groups to discuss the topic, or completing an organisational emotional intelligence assessment can be methods that work for taking the company's pulse.

Regardless of the method used to assess the organisation's emotional intelligence, Key aspects to be measured include the following:

• Does it have a rich feedback culture?
• Do people in the company feel safe to take risks and innovate?
• Is the organisation agile and resilient?
• Do people manage conflict well?
• Can people engage in productive debate?
• Are people motivated by the organisation's goals and values?
• Do people avoid difficult conversations?
• Can leaders managing change effectively?
• Do people within the organisation skilfully manage emotions?
• Are people capable of listening without judging or jumping to conclusions?
• Do people admit to mistakes?
• Do people get defensive when they are given constructive feedback?
• Do people feel that managers train and develop them?
• How do people manage pressure and tension?

Once the organisation's strengths and areas for improvement in emotional intelligence have been determined, an approach can be established for developing those skills within the company.

To instil emotional intelligence into the business culture, people at all levels must learn emotional intelligence skills and apply them in the key development areas identified during the assessment phase. This can be done by:

1. The first step is to identify the key behaviours that will drive the results you wish to achieve. For example, if the goal is to develop a feedback-rich culture, people must demonstrate the behaviour of engaging in, rather than avoiding, feedback conversations. They must model that culture by not becoming defensive when receiving feedback.
2. It's advisable to start at the top. If company leaders aren't committed or, more importantly, aren't demonstrating the key behaviours themselves, it's very difficult to get the rest of the organisation on board.
3. Provide positive feedback when people demonstrate emotional intelligence. Humans are wired to crave validation, so you can use that to help drive behaviours you are trying to embed into the culture.
4. Include these types of behaviours in the performance management process. This shows that your company is serious about rewarding both the outcomes people achieve and how they achieve them.
5. Provide training in this type of skills. Emotional intelligence is not an innate skill; is a series of knowledge, behaviours and strategies based on how our brain responds under pressure that can be learned.
6. Leveraging 360° evaluations. We all have blind spots in our self-awareness. A 360-degree assessment will help individuals recognise both their strengths and their opportunities to develop the key behaviours you wish to embed in the culture.

Emotional management is the foundation of people's ability to be agile and open to change, to collaborate, give feedback, take risks, manage conflict, and perform under pressure. When emotions are not managed well, it negatively impacts relationships and teamwork, stifles innovation, and negatively affects an organisation's performance.

Emotional intelligence is a competitive advantage and organisations that invest in integrating it into their culture will stand out from the rest.