Low Emotional Intelligence (EI) has many negative effects when it exists in the workplace. Employees with low EI, or a lack of self-awareness and self-control of thoughts, are counter-productive to the goals of the company they work for. Businesses operate to provide a service to customers. However when a company must manage a high number of workers who are emotionally immature, its main focus changes from production to correction.
Low EI can be exhibited in several ways. One of the characteristics of low EI is poor impulse control – the inability to stop, think and decide. Poor impulse control can be evidenced in an employee who reacts to situations without adequate consideration instead of planning and preparing for various scenarios. Low EI also causes difficulty managing stressful situations. There are often instances at work that induce stress, and the inability of employees to react in a mature and productive manner could severely damage an organisation. Consider the following scenario:
An employee made a bid for a work project and was awarded the assignment. Work begins but the employee begins to feel overwhelmed and no longer desires to complete the project. In a panic, they return the assignment to the manager and request personal time off of work.
This employee has a low Emotional Intelligence. They also displayed an inability to self-analyse to determine if they were capable of completing the project. They bid on a job impulsively without studying all the circumstances. When in a stressful situation, they chose to react hastily without considering the consequences – positive or negative – of their actions.
This type of occurrence can be extremely costly to a business. It could cause loss of clientele, personnel, time and money to reassign the project and meet client specifications.
Low levels of EI also contribute to poor emotional understanding and irrational thinking. Emotions cannot be controlled if they are not first accepted and understood. Under these circumstances employees are not able to view a situation accurately, and particularly not in relation to how it affects others.
Consider this situation:
Two employees are approaching a project deadline, and believe they may not complete the job successfully in the remaining time allotted. They continue to work on the project – missing the deadline – and then turn it in when completed. They did not provide any notice to their superior or to the client.
In this scenario, low EI has again caused the employees to react to situations from an immature view point. They realised they would not meet the deadline, but did not think further about the ramifications for the company. Nor did they seek assistance outside of themselves in order to achieve a successful outcome. Not only would this situation cost the company money, but imagine the work environment that exists if employees do not exhibit concern for their superiors. Interpersonal relationships are guaranteed to be imbalanced and unhealthy.
To correct the effects of low EI in the workplace Cognitive Behavioural Coaching (CBC) has become an increasingly popular practice in businesses. Coaching employees toward Emotional Intelligence through a deep self-awareness that examines beliefs and influences actions reverts the focus of the company from correction to production.