Employers look for many characteristics in an employee when they are interviewing. For example, the candidate should be dependable. He or she should have experience and education in the area of the job he or she will be doing. The interviewee should be a quick learner and should work well on a team with a growth mindset.
An employer may also be keeping an eye out for general intelligence, signs of logical thinking and ambition. But in addition to this, employers may be smart to look for signs of emotional intelligence as well.
Emotional intelligence made its debut in the late twentieth century by Peter Salvoes and John D. Mayer. They outlined four sticking points that emotionally intelligent people possess. These are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skills.
Lucky for us, New York City is full of qualified candidates who are eager to work hard to begin their career. There are many benefits to having emotional intelligent employees. Emotional intelligence has proven to make people work better with one another. In fact, it is all about how people function in their relationships and with themselves.
A person may be highly qualified in all areas but if they are not able to get along with co-workers, superiors and clients and if they aren’t able to self-motivate, that employee may be no good for the organization. So what benefits of emotional intelligence are there for a workplace?
How does a manager, administrator, or business owner benefit from highly emotionally intelligent workers and why does hiring for this quality benefit the organization? Here’s how:
Better Team-Work
It’s undeniable that employees are able to work better on a team when they have higher emotional intelligence. People with higher EQ communicate better with team members than those who are not in tune with their emotional intelligence.
They share ideas and are open to others’ ideas. They are less likely to completely take control of a situation and “run the show” on their own without thinking of others first.
These employees are more likely to trust their coworkers and value their ideas and input. They are respectful and thoughtful as the group works together. This is an ideal situation for an employer.
Better Office Environment
Morale boosting is one of the many benefits of emotional intelligence in the workplace. When you have an office full of a staff that gets along and respects one another, the company culture is bound to be much stronger.
Suddenly, the workplace also becomes an area of enjoyment. Not only will staff members enjoy the work they are doing, they will also enjoy the people with whom they do it with.
If you are looking for a way to promote a sense of teamwork and support within your workplace, you should attempt to make your break room a more enjoyable place, stocked with refreshments and healthy snacks. In this environment, co-workers will be able to enjoy each other’s company and discuss ideas or future trends over a cup of office coffee. This creates a powerful sense of teamwork and support within the workplace. If your office is located in a crowded city, you should turn the break room into a location for co-workers to convene. For instance, taking strides to make your break room enjoyable in a New York City office will give employees a place to find coffee and delicious snacks without leaving the building.
Office managers will see this ultimately reflected in other areas of business as well, such as customer service. This positive customer service will result in happy customers. That’s a win-win for everyone!
Adjustments Can Be Made Easier
It’s important for a company not to remain stagnant. By constantly focusing on self- and company geared improvement, a business is bound to experience change.
Although employees likely know that changes within their company are happening based off of what is needed or what is best for the business, however, they might not always welcome it with open arms. We, as humans, have always struggled with change.
However, employees with high emotional intelligence adjust easily and often times, embrace the change and grow alongside the company. This is a valuable personality trait that can be contagious among the team.
More Self-Awareness
One of the benefits of emotional intelligence in employees is that it helps them understand their own strengths and weaknesses. These employees are able to take feedback and use it in a positive way to improve and grow as an individual.
Often times, managers will run into defensiveness when offering constructive and necessary feedback to an employee. This alone can cause frustration and a halt in productivity. Another problem leaders run into is employees not understanding their own limitations.
While emotionally intelligent people know themselves and what they are able to accomplish in a set amount of time, others are more likely to overpromise and underdeliver.
Employees with a high emotional intelligence can learn from constructive criticism as well as be aware of what they are able to do. These are incredibly valuable tools.
More Self-Control
People with high emotional intelligence know how to handle tough situations. In business, there are bound to be situations that don’t always feel comfortable, particularly for a person that is acting in a position of leadership.
A tough situation could be involving a client that is unhappy. Dealing with unhappy clients means staying calm and positive, even if you don’t necessarily feel that way on the inside.
A tough situation could be a superior that is unhappy with your work. This creates a sense of unease and embarrassment.
It could be a tough conversation with a subordinate, either involving disciplinary action or firing. In situations like these, a person needs to be firm yet kind. A tough situation may even be a co-worker that is posing a problem or offering a disagreement.
This means holding an understanding mind and remaining calm. If an employee is able to refrain from an emotional outburst and remain calm in situations like these, it can result much better.
People who have a high EQ understand that acting in a negative, provocative, or irrational way will escalate a situation unnecessarily. These employees can easily practice restraint and only reveal their emotions when it’s appropriate…and even then, do so in a controlled manner.
Compassion
One of the greatest benefits of emotional intelligence, both within the workplace and in one’s personal life, is the ability to maintain and display compassion for fellow humans. Compassion allows a person to connect with others on an emotional level.
This can be a great benefit to an employer when their workers display compassion. Compassion can be shared with a client that missed a payment due to a tough circumstance.
Compassion can be shown to a co-worker dealing with a personal issue and needing someone to cover their responsibilities. Compassion can also be shown to leadership for the decisions they need to make on a daily basis.
Compassion helps us connect with others. By displaying compassion, an employee helps to connect the workplace and improve the morale and overall reputation of the company. This is a priceless benefit. It’s also, unfortunately, not normally a teachable skill.
Time’s Managed Better
A leader has the right to expect that his or her employees meet deadlines. Depending on the company, this can mean the difference between earning the dime or going hungry.
In less tumultuous businesses, it can minimally cause frustration and a divide between employee and employer. People with a higher emotional intelligence are able to manage their time in a more efficient manner, maximizing their productivity.
One of the greatest benefits of emotional intelligence in the workplace is that a leader doesn’t feel the need to micromanage his or her employees. By hiring people displaying a high emotional intelligence, he or she can be sure projects will be completed and deadlines will be met.
It’s simply that these people know how to prioritize tasks and get them done in a timely manner. What a great feeling!
There’s More Motivation
Emotionally Intelligent individuals are optimistic and are always naturally working towards a goal, whether personal, professional or both. These individuals have a growth mindset and they persevere no matter the obstacles they face.
These employees are often times not motivated by external means, but rather are driven by their inner ambition. People with high emotional intelligence work hard for the benefit of knowing they completed the job successfully.
They will work hard for you and they do not give up easily. It’s important to note that these employees, while often appreciative and deserving of pay raises and bonuses, are quick to be turned off by fake or trivial rewards. Their work is important and is based on that merit alone. It’s important to reward these prized employees by keeping them happy and making their lives easier. If your office is located in a bustling location, you should bring these rewards to them to keep them motivated. There are many ways you can make office life easier in New York City and other busy cities by offering your employees ways to refresh throughout the day.
Leadership Capabilities
Companies are constantly searching for quality leadership, as they should. This type of leadership makes a huge difference in productivity and profitability, allowing each employee to feel respected and valued.
It makes sense, then, that business owners and hiring agents would seek out talent with high emotional intelligence. These employees have empathy for others’ feelings and situations.
They have a proper understanding of human nature. Because of this, they have a positive effect on their subordinates. They are able to be nurturing yet firm.
These leaders have the ability to inspire employees. People working for leaders with high emotional intelligence are motivated to do their very best simply because their best is what is good for the company and for their boss. Leaders with these qualities can make a huge impact on the company culture.
Better Professional Relationships Are Able to Form
One of the benefits of emotional intelligence is understanding others. People with high EQ know what makes others tick. They are able to hone into what others like and don’t like.
This helps a relationship, professional or otherwise, grow and develop into a strong, solid one. Having high emotional intelligence also allows a person to be very tuned in to body language and facial expressions of the people with whom they are communicating.
This is an extremely helpful skill in business (and in personal life, for that matter). Being able to “read” people allows you to interact better and communicate properly.
You can identify what others are really thinking and feeling rather than just the words they are saying. “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it,” is a thought process that means very much to people with high emotional intelligence. By being able to communicate well, it develops better relationships with clients, co-workers and with leadership.
You Are One Step Ahead of Other Companies
Many companies haven’t realized the importance of hiring for emotional intelligence just yet. This isn’t a trend that’s taken form entirely. Because of this, other companies may not have a team that feels valued. Hiring new talent with high emotional intelligence can help your company stand out among your New York City competitors.
These companies may struggle with teams that do not work well together and lack motivation. This is a great advantage to have over your less insightful competitors and it can be extremely beneficial.
It’s common knowledge what kind of team companies want to build; strong, cohesive, go-getters that work well together. But often these companies stop at just thinking about the team. That dream-team is comprised of dream-employees.
By focusing on the pieces of this team (the people), leaders can be sure to gain that edge over their competitors who are still wondering how to get their employees to function well together. So what next?
Now that you’re clued into the benefits of emotional intelligence and know it is a quality and valuable asset for an employee, what can you do about it? Take a look are your current talent. Who displays the traits listed above?
Who gets along with all types of people, displays compassion and empathy, always works well in a team? If you haven’t already, consider leadership positions for these employees. When choosing an employee to run a certain team or complete a special project, resist the urge to choose the worker with the most experience.
Rather, identify the one that exhibits high emotional intelligence. Secondly, change your interview process. Of course, you’ll still need to include questions regarding technical issues, education and experience.
But add to these questions ones that include situations where one would need a higher emotional intelligence to be successful. Pay attention to their answers and consider these when deciding whether to hire.
Now that you know the benefits of emotional intelligence in the workplace, it will be easy to identify those that display it and those that struggle. The important thing is you’re one step ahead of improving the workplace environment for your company.
