How emotional intelligence relates to job satisfaction and burnout in public service jobs

Abstract

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.