EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE WORKPLACE: EXPLORING ITS EFFECTS ON OCCUPATIONAL STRESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

The purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and sources of occupational stress and outcomes on a sample of professionals in mental health institutions. A total of 212 participants were administered the Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire as well as the Organizational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), a new organizational screening tool, which measures workplace stress. The results were in the expected direction showing a negative correlation between emotional intelligence and stress at work, indicating that high scorers in overall EI suffered less stress related to occupational environment. A positive correlation was also found between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment, which according to the ASSET model is considered as a consequence of stress, suggesting a new role for EI as a determinant of employee loyalty to organizations. Finally, the relationship between EI, job stress, and various demographic variables such as gender, age, and education was investigated and results are discussed in the light of the organizational framework.