Managers and supervisors in the tech industry are always strategizing to manage resources better so that productivity can be maximized. Certainly, it would be a manager's delight to have a highly productive workforce available all the time, but sometimes they fail to read between the lines that maximizing productivity can also adversely affect their employees' mental health.
There are a lot of reasons why you may face mental health issues in the workplace, but you can deal with them by developing emotional intelligence. EQ isn’t something new; we always have it and use it every day to varying degrees. But a workplace, especially a tech workplace, has its own unique set of challenges, and the best way to navigate through them is to develop this intelligence.
In this article, we will be discussing what emotional intelligence is, why it is relevant to the IT sector, and sharing some tips on how you can improve it.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
According to Mental Health America, emotional intelligence is the ability to manage both your own emotions and the emotions of people around you.
In terms of modern workforce, Emotional Intelligence- has garnered a lot of attention for an efficient and healthy environment. By default, experts are working closely with higher management and employees to create a balanced office culture which cultivates results and growth simultaneously.
Why is EQ relevant in the field of IT?
Emotional intelligence is a vital part of navigating an IT workplace. Business owners and stakeholders should put those people into managerial roles who are extremely emotionally intelligent. According to the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, a person with high emotional intelligence is more likely to make sound decisions, build and sustain relationships, cope with change, and deal with stress effectively.
Managers who are emotionally intelligent tend to be effective in conflict resolution. They have the ability to tactfully bring conflicts into the open and suggest solutions that everyone can get behind.
How do you improve EQ in the workplace?
There are five key elements to emotional intelligence, called Goleman’s 5 Key Elements of EI, that you must know to improve it:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Regulation
- Motivation
- Empathy
- Social Skills
Self-Awareness
According to Daniel Goleman, author of the groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence, self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions. Not only that, but self-awareness also entails being able to recognize the effects your actions, emotions, and mood have on others.
To become truly self-aware, you must be able to monitor your emotions and the emotional reactions they bring. So, in the workplace, being self-aware allows you to know your own strengths and weaknesses.
Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is the ability to manage your emotions. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have put them in a closet and thrown away the key. It means you need to wait for the right time and place to express them. Those who are good at self-regulation tend to be flexible and can adapt to change really well.
So, if you are going through some stress in your workplace, being self-regulated can help you cope with it better.
Motivation
Being motivated is also an integral part of emotional intelligence. Emotionally intelligent people are often motivated not by external rewards, fame, money, or recognition but by a passion to fulfill their goals and inner needs.
This is a great trait to have, as being motivated can help you achieve your personal as well as professional goals and can make you a role model at your workplace.
Empathy
Empathy is being able to understand what other people feel. In a workplace, emotionally intelligent people in managerial roles can do wonders for that workplace. Because they can be empathic and rightly motivate their employees to perform to the best of their abilities.
Social Skills
Part and parcel of being emotionally intelligent is developing social skills. Being able to interact with other people and get along with them can create a positive and productive environment in the workplace. Managers can greatly benefit from developing relationships with their employees and understanding their needs and aspirations.
Final Word
Developing emotional intelligence can be a game-changer for people working in IT and other fields. Emotionally intelligent people are able to navigate the workplace better and are more flexible with change.
Here at FiveRivers Technologies, we believe that an employee's mental health is important for creating a healthy and productive work environment. So, on this Mental Health Awareness Day, FRT conducted a seminar on mental health awareness, where both the management and employees took part and learned how to thrive through emotional intelligence.
