The relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction among state civil servants / Tina Edward Munyug ... [et al.]

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction among state civil servants in Malaysia. Although emotional intelligence is positively correlated with job satisfaction, past studies showed mixed results. Most of the studies involved employees in the private sector. Studies of employees in the public sector were rare. Differences in the organization objectives and cultures in both private and public sectors might affect the relationship of these two variables. The emotional intelligence domains in this study include self-emotional appraisal, others’ emotional appraisal, use of emotion, and regulation of emotion. 65 state civil servants in Malaysia participated in this study. A questionnaire covering respondents’ demographic information, emotional intelligence scale and job satisfaction scale was used. Cronbach's alpha scores for these instruments ranged from 0.838 to 0.907. The study only found a significant positive correlation between the regulation of emotion and job satisfaction. It is suggested that employees who are better in regulating their emotions tend to manage their jobs better hence leading to better job satisfaction. The outcome of this study will help the state government to plan and develop suitable human resource interventions to improve employees’ emotional intelligence and job satisfaction.