In Pursuit of Work Performance: Testing the Contribution of Emotional Intelligence and Burnout.

Martin Sanchez-Gomez,Edgar Breso

doi:10.3390/ijerph17155373

Martin Sanchez-Gomez, Edgar Breso

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17155373

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Abstract

Previous research has highlighted the connection between emotional intelligence (EI) and work performance. However, the role of job burnout in this context remains relatively unexplored. This study aimed to examine the mediator role of burnout in the relationship between EI and work performance in a multioccupational sample of 1197 Spanish professionals (58.6% women). The participants completed the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire. As expected, the results demonstrated a positive relationship between EI and performance, and a negative relationship with burnout, which has a mediator effect in the relationship between EI and work performance. Professionals with high levels of IE and low burnout reported the highest performance. Multiple mediation analyses showed that employees’ EI was indirectly connected to work performance via professional efficacy and exhaustion, even when controlling the effects of sociodemographic variables. The same pattern was found when multiple mediations were conducted for each EI dimension. These findings demonstrate the importance of burnout in understanding work performance and emphasize the role of EI as a protective variable which can prevent the development or chronic progression of workers’ burnout.

Highlights

The study of individual performance has focused on the task performance aspect, which is defined as the proficiency with which individuals perform the core substantive or technical tasks of their job [2]
Our results indicate that all emotional intelligence (EI) branches share the same relation with burnout and the work performance’ (WP) dimensions, suggesting the all branches are of the same importance to explain the moderation mechanism
Have on the company’s competitiveness [70,71]. These results underline the interactive role of EI and burnout as predictors of individual performance in a multioccupational sample of Spanish workers

Summary

Introduction

Work performance has been described as behaviors or actions that are relevant to the goals of the organization [2]. The study of individual performance has focused on the task performance aspect, which is defined as the proficiency with which individuals perform the core substantive or technical tasks of their job [2]. Research has since agreed to describe work performance in a way that goes beyond individual work performance to include contextual performance and counterproductive work behaviors [3,4]. Contextual performance is described as those behaviors supporting the organizational, social, and psychological environment in which the technical core must function [5]. Counterproductive work can be defined as behavior that harms the well-being of the organization [3]

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