Public service workers require higher levels of emotional intelligence because most public service jobs involve emotionally intense work focused on service to the public. Moreover, such emotional work may lead to a high degree of burnout and job dissatisfaction, which directly relates to organizational outcomes. Focusing on public service workers, the present study investigates the relationships between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, on the one hand, and the dimensions of emotional intelligence and burnout, on the other. In the sample of 167 public service workers in the US, using employed structural equation modeling, the findings reveal that emotion regulation is significantly and negatively related to burnout and that emotional self-awareness is significantly and positively related to job satisfaction.
Points for practitioners
This study contributes to understanding the relationship between the emotional intelligence dimension and burnout, and the emotional intelligence dimension and job satisfaction, in public service jobs. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role for public service workers whose work involves emotionally intense job characteristics. The findings show that training in emotional intelligence abilities may increase job satisfaction and decrease burnout. Practitioners and professionals working in public management and administration may consider measures of emotional intelligence, especially emotional self-awareness and emotion regulation, in the recruitment process to select potentially effective job applicants.
AbrahamR (2000) The role of job control as a moderator of emotional dissonance and emotional intelligence–outcome relationships. The Journal of Psychology134(2): 169–184.
2.
AshkanasyNMHartelCEJDausCS (2002) Advances in organizational behavior: Diversity and emotions. Journal of Management28: 307–338.
Bar-OnR (2000) Emotional and social intelligence: Insights from the emotional quotient inventory. In: Bar-OnRParkerJDA (eds) The Handbook of Emotional Intelligence: Theory, Development, Assessment, and Application at Home, School, and in the Workplace, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, pp. 363–388.
5.
Barrett KC and Campos JJ (1987) Perspectives on emotional development II: A functionalist approach to emotions. In: OsofskyJD (ed.) Handbook of Infant Development, 2nd edn. New York, NY: Wiley, pp. 555–578.
6.
BrackettMAPalomeraRMojsa-KajaJet al. (2010) Emotion-regulation ability, burnout, and job satisfaction among British secondary-school teachers. Psychology in the School47(4): 406–417.
7.
CampbellNSPerrySJMaertzCPet al. (2013) All you need is … resources: The effects of justice and support on burnout and turnover. Human Relations66: 759–782.
8.
ChandraTPriyono (2016) The influence of leadership styles, work environment and job satisfaction of employee performance—studies in the school of SMPN 10 surabaya. International Education Studies9(1): 131–140.
9.
ChivaRAlegreJ (2008) Emotional intelligence and job satisfaction: The role of organizational learning capability. Personnel Review37(6): 680–701.
10.
CiarrochiJDeaneFPAndersonS (2002) Emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between stress and mental health. Personality and Individual Differences32: 197–209.
11.
CooperRKSawafA (1997) Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leaders and Organizations, New York, NY: Grosset/Putnam.
12.
CordesCLDoughertyTW (1993) A review and an integration of research on job burnout. Academy of Management Review18(4): 621–656.
13.
CrannyCJSmithPCStoneEF (1992) Job Satisfaction: How People Feel About Their Jobs and How It Affects Their Performance, New York, NY: Lexington Books.
14.
DayALCarrollSA (2004) Using an ability-based measure of emotional intelligence to predict individual performance, group performance, and group citizenship behaviours. Personality and Individual Differences36: 1443–1458.
15.
DeepikaD (2016) Impact of leader’s emotional intelligence and transformational behavior on perceived leadership effectiveness: A multiple source view. Business Perspectives & Research4(1): 27–40.
16.
DulewiczVHerbertP (1999) Predicting advancement to senior management from competencies and personality data: A 7-year follow-up study. British Journal of Management10(1): 13–22.
17.
DunnEWBrackettMAAshton-JamesCet al. (2007) On emotionally intelligent time travel: Individual differences in affective forecasting ability. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin33: 85–93.
18.
FanDCuiLZhangMMet al. (2014) Influence of high performance work systems on employee subjective well-being and job burnout: Empirical evidence from the Chinese healthcare sector. The International Journal of Human Resource Management25(7): 931–950.
19.
GardnerH (1983) Frames of Mind, New York, NY: Basic Books.
20.
GolemanD (1995) Emotional Intelligence, New York, NY: Basic Books.
21.
GolemanD (1998) Working with Emotional Intelligence, New York, NY: Bantam Books.
22.
GrandeyA (2000) Emotional regulation in the workplace: A new way to conceptualize emotional labor. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology5: 95–110.
23.
GrandeyATamABrauburgerA (2002) Affective states and traits of young workers: A diary study. Motivation and Emotion26: 31–55.
24.
GüleryüzGGüneySAydınEMet al. (2008) The mediating effect of job satisfaction between emotional intelligence and organisational commitment of nurses: A questionnaire survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies45: 1625–1635.
25.
GuyMELeeHJ (2015) How emotional intelligence mediates emotional labor in public service jobs. Review of Public Personnel Administration35(3): 261–277.
26.
GuyMENewmanMAMastracciSH (2008) Emotional Labor: Putting the Service in Public Service, Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
27.
Hackman JR and Oldham GR (1976) Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 16: 250–279.
28.
HalbeslebenJRNBuckleyMR (2004) Burnout in organizational life. Journal of Management30(6): 859–879.
29.
HeckhausenH (1984) Emergent achievement behavior: Some early development. In: NichollsJ (ed.) Advances in Achievement Motivation, Greenwich, CT: JAI, pp. 1–32.
30.
HerzbergF (1966) Work and the Nature of Man, Cleveland, OH: World.
31.
HiggsM (2004) A study of the relationship between emotional intelligence and performance in UK call centers. Journal of Managerial Psychology19: 442–454.
32.
HiggsMDulewiczV (2014) Antecedents of well-being: A study to examine the extent to which personality and emotional intelligence contribute to well-being. International Journal of Human Resource Management25(5): 718–735.
33.
Hosseinian S, Yazdi SM, Zahraie S and Ashtani A (2008) Emotional intelligence and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Sciences 8(5): 903–906.
34.
HsiehC-WGuyME (2009) Performance outcomes: The relationship between managing the “heart” and managing client satisfaction. Review of Public Personnel Administration29(1): 41–57.
35.
HsiehC-WJinMHGuyME (2012) Managing work-related emotions: Analysis of a cross section of public service workers. The American Review of Public Administration42(1): 39–53.
36.
HuangXChanSCHLamWet al. (2010) The joint effect of leader–member exchange and emotional intelligence on burnout and work performance in call centers in China. International Journal of Human Resources Management21(7): 1124–1144.
37.
InnanenHTolvanenASalmela-AroK (2014) Burnout, work engagement and workaholism among highly educated employees: Profiles, antecedents and outcomes. Burnout Research1(1): 38–49.
38.
JoshiPSumanSKSharmaM (2015) The effect of emotional intelligence on job satisfaction of faculty: A structural equation modeling approach. IUP Journal of Organizational Behavior3: 58–71.
39.
KahnJHSchneiderKTJenkins-HenkelmanTMet al. (2006) Emotional social support and job burnout among high-school teachers: Is it all due to dispositional affectivity?Journal of Organizational Behavior27: 793–807.
40.
KarimJ (2010) An item response theory analysis of Wong and Law emotional intelligence scale. Procedia Social and Behavioral Science2: 4038–4047.
41.
KimHStonerM (2008) Burnout and turnover intention among social workers: Effects of role stress, job autonomy and social support. Administration in Social Work32(3): 5–25.
42.
KimHJShinKHSwangerN (2009) Burnout and engagement: A comparative analysis using the big five personality dimensions. International Journal of Hospitality Management28: 96–104.
43.
LawKSWongCSongLJ (2004) The construct and criterion validity of emotional intelligence and its potential utility for management studies. Journal of Applied Psychology89(3): 483–496.
44.
LeeHJ (2013a) An empirical analysis of the relationship between emotional intelligence and emotion work: An examination of public service employees. International Review of Public Administration18(2): 85–107.
45.
LeeHJ (2013b) The relationship between emotional intelligence and altruism among South Korean central government officials. Social Behavior and Personality41(10): 1667–1680.
46.
LeeJHOkC (2012) Reducing burnout and enhancing job satisfaction: Critical role of hotel employees’ emotional intelligence and emotional labor. International Journal of Hospitality Management31: 1101–1112.
47.
LeeRTAshforthBE (1990) On the meaning of Maslach’s three dimensions of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology75: 743–747.
48.
LizanoEL (2015) Examining the impact of job burnout on the health and well-being of human service workers: A systematic review and synthesis. Human Service Organization: Management, Leadership & Governance39: 167–181.
49.
LockeEA (1976) The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In: DnnetteMA (ed.) Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicago, IL: Rand McNally, pp. 1297–1343.
50.
Lopes PN, Brackett MA, Nezlek JB, et al. (2004) Emotional intelligence and social interaction. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 30(8): 1018–1034.
51.
LundaJMAMartosMPLopez-ZafraE (2010) Emotional intelligence and personality traits as predictors of psychological well-being in Spanish undergraduates. Social Behavior and Personality38(6): 783–793.
52.
MaslachC (1976) Burnout. Human Relations5: 16–22.
53.
MaslachC (1981) Burnout: A social psychological analysis. In: JonesJW (ed.) The Burnout Syndrome, Park Ridge, IL: London House Press, pp. 30–53.
54.
MaslachC (1982) Burnout: The Cost of Caring, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
55.
MaslachCJacksonSE (1981) The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior2: 99–113.
MaslachCLeiterMP (2008) Early predictors of job burnout and engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology93: 498–512.
58.
MayerJDSaloveyP (1997) What is emotional intelligence? In: SaloveyPSluyterD (eds) Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications, New York, NY: Basic Books, pp. 3–31.
MayerJDSaloveyPCarusoDR (2008) Emotional intelligence: New ability or eclectic traits?American Psychologist63(6): 503–517.
61.
MeislerG (2013) Empirical exploration of the relationship between emotional intelligence, perceived organizational justice and turnover intentions. Employee Relations35(4): 441–455.
62.
MeislerGVigoda-GadotE (2014) Perceived organizational politics, emotional intelligence, and work outcome: Empirical exploration of direct and indirect effects. Personnel Review43(1): 116–135.
63.
MoonTWHurW (2011) Emotional intelligence, emotional exhaustion, and job performance. Social Behavior and Personality39(8): 1087–1096.
64.
Mor BarakMENisslyJALevinA (2001) Antecedents to retention and turnover among child welfare, social work, and other human service employees: What can we learn from past research? A review and meta-analysis. Social Service Review75(5): 625–662.
65.
NeerpalR (2014) Impact of emotional intelligence and emotional labor on organizational outcomes in service organizations: A conceptual model. South Asian Journal of Management21(4): 54–71.
66.
PekrunRFreseM (1992) Emotions in work and achievement. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology7: 154–200.
67.
PetridesKVFurnhamA (2000) On the dimensional structure of emotional intelligence. Personality and Individual Differences29(2): 313–320.
68.
PinesAKafryD (1981) Coping with burnout. In: JonesJW (ed.) The Burnout Syndrome, Park Ridge, IL: London House Press, pp. 139–150.
69.
RowdenRW (2002) The relationship between workplace learning and job satisfaction in US small to midsize businesses. Human Resource Development Quarterly13(4): 407–425.
70.
SaloveyPMayerJD (1990) Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality9(3): 185–211.
71.
SeeryBLCorrigallEA (2009) Emotional labor: Links to work attitudes and emotional exhaustion. Journal of Managerial Psychology24(8): 797–813.
72.
ShiromA (2003) Job-related burnout: A review. In: QuickJCTetrickLE (eds) Handbook of Occupational Health Psychology, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 245–264.
73.
SmithRJClarkSJ (2011) Does job resource loss reduce burnout and job exit for professionally trained social workers in child welfare?Children and Youth Service Review33: 1950–1959.
74.
SpectorPE (1996) Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Research and Practice, New York, NY: John Wiley.
75.
SwiderBWZimmermanRD (2010) Born to burnout: A meta-analytic path model of personality, job burnout, and work outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior76: 487–506.
76.
SyTCôtéS (2004) Emotional intelligence: A key ability to succeed in the matrix organization. Journal of Management Development23: 437–455.
77.
SyTTramSO’HaraLA (2006) Relation of employee and manager emotional intelligence to job satisfaction and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior68: 461–473.
78.
TaylorGJ (2001) Low emotional intelligence and mental illness. In: CiarrochiJForgasJPMayerJD (eds) Emotional Intelligence in Everyday Life: A Scientific Enquiry, Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press, pp. 67–81.
79.
ThorndikeEL (1920) Intelligence and its use. Harper’s Magazine140: 227–235.
80.
VandewaaEATurnipseedDLCainG (2016) Panacea or placebo? An evaluation of the value of emotional intelligence in healthcare workers. Journal of Health & Human Service Administration38(4): 438–477.
81.
VarcaPE (2004) Service skills for service workers: Emotional intelligence and beyond. Managing Service Quality14: 457–467.
82.
Vigoda-GadotEMeislerG (2010) Emotions in management and the management of emotions: The impact of emotional intelligence and organizational politics on public sector employees. Public Administration Review70(1): 72–86.
83.
WongCLawKS (2002) The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude: An exploratory study. The Leadership Quarterly13: 243–274.
84.
ZapfD (2002) Emotion work and psychological well-being. A review of literature and some conceptual considerations. Human Resources Management Review12: 237–268.
85.
ZeidnerMMatthewsGRobertsRD (2004) Emotional intelligence in the workplace: A critical review. Applied Psychology53(3): 371–399.
