Benefits of Emotional Intelligence During Lock down and in Post-Pandemic Era

The benefits of emotional intelligence are getting vivid during the corona pandemic when most of the business is preferring employees to work from home. The lockdowns have impacted human psychology. It is a pressure situation for employees who have been used to work in offices. Now they have to adjust quickly to the requirements of working from home while showing emotional intelligence better than ever. It is going to even more complicated in the post Covid-19 world.

Emotional intelligence is an increasingly preferred asset in an individual on a personal and professional level. The technical skills, interpersonal skills, and experience have their importance for promotions and good placements. But better emotional intelligence would have to play a more significant role not only during the lockdowns but even post-pandemic.

The benefits of emotional intelligence can’t be taken into account without discussing the term ‘emotional intelligence”. Then how is it created? Whether it is genetic stuff or can be acquired? Can we improve it?

Emotional Intelligence or EQ is a collection of skills related to your emotional or mental state. It is also the ability to control or monitor emotions and feelings of self and others, discriminate between them, and use them positively to steer our actions and thoughts.

Emotional intelligence is basically about four vital skills or qualities in an individual, namely self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, and social skills. People with emotional intelligence are easily capable of working with other people in different environments as they know how different individuals function in different relationships. The core benefits of emotional intelligence, especially in professional life or in your workplace include

1- Better Teamwork

Whether you work from home or in the office, teamwork is expected. A team comprising of individuals with high emotional intelligence is undeniably more efficient and effective. Team members with higher emotional intelligence tend to communicate better, effectively share ideas, and promote those of others. They share the overall situation with team members and do not try to act solo. Such employees are thoughtful, respectful, and support other team members.

2- Better Work Environment

Employees with emotional intelligence are great for boosting office or workplace morale as they get along with others very well. Team members or staff that get along well enjoy their work and the company they are working with. They often engage in healthy work discussions in office time, which makes them more confident about their position in the team and boosts their self-confidence. In some cases, such as the customer services departments, this positive atmosphere is further transferred onto the customers, transforming into a total win-win situation.

3- Changes and Adjustments Are Easier To Make

During the corona pandemic, it is essential to continually respond to market demand and change accordingly. The need to continually focus on market demands and therefore improve business requires the incorporation of change, more than sometimes expected. Among the several benefits of emotional intelligence, one is a relatively smooth transition towards change. Employees with a higher level of emotional intelligence tend to adjust quickly and enjoy the ability to embrace it as well, growing personally as well, along with the company. Having even a single individual with such strength in a team can be contagious, forcing others to follow as well.

4- Enhanced Level of Self Awareness

Emotional intelligence creates self-awareness in individuals, making them more aware of their weaknesses and strengths. They acquire the ability to receive feedback and using it for positive enhancement of their performance. Any manager or team leader that lacks emotional intelligence will get defensive when constructive negative feedback is received. This often leads to frustration and diminishing productivity levels. Better emotional intelligence also means that people are more aware of their abilities and skills and promise what they can deliver and not end up over-promising and under-delivering.

5- Being Compassionate

The greatest among the benefits of emotional intelligence in both professional and personal life is compassion for other humans. Being compassionate allows you to display concern and connect with other people around you on an emotional level. A sympathetic employee can connect with team members and customers in tough situations and derive positive outcomes of it.

Benefits of Emotional Intelligence in interpersonal communication skills

Benefits of emotional intelligence in an interpersonal aspect are quite easy to understand; however, its application within the workplace cannot be ignored. When you are working within an organization, you come across different people with different personalities. Both managers and employees are under the requirement to read the situation carefully and determine their emotional strengths and weaknesses. If you possess a well-developed sense of emotional intelligence, you are most likely to get help from all of these aspects.

Emotional intelligence is not only important in our personal lives but, it also matters in your professional life as well. It is useful for any type of interpersonal situation. Whether it is a family member, friends or other relationships, you will experience improvement in your reactions. This impact is huge on the quality of life, happiness, and confidence.

We can go on, but this list is sufficient to prove that employees having better emotional intelligence (EQ) scores have better chances to become an asset for the business. The EQ can lead to better time management, enhanced motivation, leadership capabilities, managing better professional relationships, competitive advantage over rivals, etc. The base of a successful professional life is not just your technical know how and academic achievements. Instead, our attitude and ability to handle different people and situations go a long way in defining your success in professional life.