Emotionally intelligent employees are a competitive advantage

Humphrey, Ronald and Miao, Chao and Qian, Shanshan (2017) Emotionally intelligent employees are a competitive advantage. London School of Economics Business Review..

Abstract

In today’s hypercompetitive world, it is more important than ever to have highly engaged, committed workers. Employees with high job satisfaction and organisational commitment have higher job performance. Satisfied people are more productive. Moreover, employees with high job satisfaction and organisational commitment have lower turnover intentions. This can keep costly turnover down and help organisations retain knowledgeable, well-trained, and experienced staff. People with high job satisfaction also have better physical and mental health, and this is good for both the employees and the company, keeping down absenteeism and reducing health insurance costs. The multiple benefits of job satisfaction raise the question: What leads to satisfied employees? While a variety of personality traits are related to job satisfaction, our research provides compelling evidence that emotional intelligence is the most important personality predictor of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and turnover intentions. Organisations that recruit emotionally intelligent employees will have an advantage over the competition. Moreover, because emotional competencies and skills can be developed, our research suggests practical ways that organisations can use to increase their existing employees’ job satisfaction, commitment, and productivity.