Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (or EQ for short) has become one of the most popular workplace skills. Many employers look at it as an important quality to have in their employees.

Some studies even suggest that having high levels of EQ can be more important than IQ when looking for employment.

While there is no conclusive proof that showing empathy will get you a higher paying job, it can help you connect with your colleagues and inspire loyalty from those around you.

If you believe that your own level of EQ is lacking, then trying to learn some of these strategies could be just what you need to boost your career happiness.

But before you make any changes, you should do a test run to see if you are already displaying enough levels of EQ.

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So how does emotional quotient affect job satisfaction? And is being less happy at work due to poor EQ really a legitimate reason for employee discontentment or personal upheaval?

We’ll go into much greater detail below, but first let us take a closer look at why emotional intelligence matters in the office.

Why Is Emotional Quotient Important For Employees?

Emotional quotient or EQ comes under the broader category of emotion regulation. This includes things like recognizing your emotions, identifying which ones you have, and controlling them.

It also includes using motivation and reward to motivate yourself, and understanding the influence that other people’s emotions have on you.

Relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction

Recent studies suggest that having high levels of emotional quotient (EQ) is linked to higher rates of job satisfaction. In fact, there are some theories which say that being able to recognize and control your emotions is what makes someone feel confident at work and thus, happy.

Emotional intelligence has been defined as how well you manage or regulate your own emotions and those of others. It looks at how you experience and deal with emotion in yourself and other people, and how these experiences influence behavior.

Some researchers believe that it comes down to something more fundamental than just knowing how to be happier at times. They claim that it’s actually an ability to understand and predict human behavior and feelings.

That way, you're not only aware of their presence, but also why they occur and whether they're positive or negative. This can make it easier to manipulate them for your personal benefit, or avoid putting pressure on them when they're needed.

The impact of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction

Over the past few decades, psychologists have noticed that there is a link between someone’s EQ and their overall level of happiness at work.

Research has shown that people who are high in EQ are more likely to feel satisfied with their jobs and employers than individuals with low levels of emotional intelligence.

Furthermore, research suggests that having higher levels of EI can improve employee morale and motivation, and help mitigate stress and burn-out caused by your job.

So how does emotional intelligence affect job satisfaction?

It makes sense that if you know how to manage your own emotions then you will enjoy working for yourself or for someone else. You will be happier because you’ll recognize things such as frustration, anger, sadness, and fear, and learn how to cope with them.

You will also be aware of other peoples’ emotions so you’ll understand why they behave like they do and what motivates them. In this way, they’ll come across as more cooperative and productive.

Ways to improve emotional intelligence

Recent studies have shown that being able to identify your own emotions is one of the most important skills to develop as you grow older.

It’s also a crucial skill for success in life.

In fact, research suggests that people who are very good at identifying their own feelings tend to be happier than those who aren’t.

And while some people may think that’s strange or even crazy, experts believe it makes sense.

Why? Because feeling things can help you understand other people and motivate you to do things.

Furthermore, there's strong evidence to suggest that having emotional control helps keep mental health conditions at bay.

So if you want to live a happy life, then learning how to recognize and manage your own emotions is an essential part of that journey.

Conduct a self-assessment

One way to assess your emotional intelligence is by taking one of the many tests that have been made available. Some of these test you directly in person, while others are done online or through apps on your smartphone.

There are several different types of EI tests. The most well known type is called the EQ-i. This test was developed back in 2002 and has since then gathered quite some recognition.

The EQ-i contains twenty questions and eight sub-scales. These scales measure how much you perceive yourself as having each of the emotions listed in the questionnaire. You get points for how often you feel them and from what sources they come.

By adding up all the scores you can get an overall picture of your emotional intelligence. However, it is important to remember that everyone will not necessarily agree about what each scale measures. That is why there is no “best” score you can have on the test.

But once again, you can determine if you have high or low EAQ depending on which ones matter the most to you and what job position you hold.

Provide structure

As we have discussed, emotional intelligence is an important skill to possess if you want to enjoy your job, and succeed at work. But what most people do not realize is that there are two different types of EI.

The first is called “technical” or “measurable” empathy. This type of EQ involves understanding and displaying sympathy for other people’s emotions.

In fact, some experts say that having high levels of measurable empathy is one of the key reasons why someone in your organization may be able to avoid burnout by practicing self-care.

But technical empathy alone isn’t enough to ensure employee happiness. After all, who doesn’t love watching TV shows where everyone comes together to solve a problem? Or reading books about characters that struggle with conflict but find ways to resolve it?

Technical empathy is definitely a worthy goal, but it won’t help you feel more connected to others. And while it can help you predict how people will respond to things, it won’t necessarily make them like you more.

That’s because technical empathy is focused on understanding rather than motivating — it helps you identify with others, but it doesn’t motivate them to agree with you.

So although you might believe that your colleagues admire you for your ability to empathize, they could also think that you take yourself too seriously and that you are overly dependent on them.

Be authentic

Being authentic is more than just saying what you think people want to hear. It includes showing how you feel, being true to who you are within yourself, and knowing what things matter to you.

Being authentic also means not doing things that are harmful to others or that do not contribute to making society a better place. These can be small things, like talking too much about yourself, but they can become big things, like bullying behavior.

By staying focused on what is important to you, your job will satisfy you. You will enjoy what you do because you will understand it and know it well.

You will also help other people achieve their goals by supporting them in these areas. This creates an environment where teamwork is encouraged and success is possible.

It also helps create a workplace free of conflicts, as no one feels attacked or undermined.

Build relationships

A large part of your job as an employee is to ensure that you develop strong interpersonal relations with your colleagues. Your boss is a valuable asset who can make or break your career, so keep in touch after meetings and conversations, respond to messages and calls promptly, and listen well to get good feedback about yourself and how you perform your job.

If you notice that your colleague is not responding to messages or meeting deadlines, try to determine what may be causing them stress and address those issues first.

It could be something they are struggling with at home, or it could be work-related. Whatever it is, address it quickly and put their employment situation first.

Your employer will also likely tell you some things about themselves that may help you predict their future performance. For example, if someone comes across as being distracted most of the time, it might indicate that they do not care much about what they are doing.

That could be due to lack of interest in the task, or maybe there is just no one they share this responsibility with that they feel comfortable talking to. Either way, it is important to know these things if you want to succeed at your job.

Emotions have a lot to do with how people relate to each other, so being aware of others’ emotions can help you achieve your goals and avoid conflict.

There are several types of emotional intelligence (EI) that play a major role in workplace interactions.

Be realistic

Even if you have high emotional intelligence, that doesn’t mean your job will make you happy. Your happiness at work is influenced by many different factors, including how well you manage your personal relationships, whether you have what it takes to do your best every day, and whether you feel your career is moving in the right direction.

Being able to recognize and control your emotions is an important part of emotional intelligence, but only sets up another challenge — learning when to use them and how to shift your thinking process in a positive way.

Some people may not agree with your decisions or strategies, which can be frustrating. You need to understand that there are going to be times when things go wrong, and that’s okay!

If you put in the effort to learn more about yourself and others, and keep seeking out opportunities to grow, then I believe you’ll find your job satisfying.