Enhancing emotional intelligence for well-being in higher education: Supporting SDG 3 amid adversity

Orientation: The coronavirus disease 2019 necessitated tertiary institutions to reevaluate their educational paradigms, emphasising resilience and fostering creative mindsets to navigate unprecedented challenges. This disruption evoked distressing emotions, posing threats to academics’ emotional well-being. Such challenges carry profound implications for the attainment of sustainable development goal 3 (SDG 3), aimed at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.Research purpose: This study aimed to comprehend and harness the emotional intelligence of academics, with a view to understanding how adversity affects emotional intelligence and emotional well-being in academics.Motivation for the study: The focus on enhancing the emotional well-being of academics directly contributes to the overall health and well-being goals outlined in SDG 3.Research approach/design and method: A quantitative approach with a sample size of 360 academics was drawn from five campus sites from the University of KwaZulu-Natal using stratified random sampling.Main findings: Respondents reported elevated levels of stress and anxiety and a lack of visibility regarding employee assistance programmes (EAPs). Respondents indicated a notable dissatisfaction with the lack of support from the human resource department.Practical/managerial implications: Recommendations proposed in the higher education landscape for advancing SDG 3 consisted of EAP insights and awareness, needs analysis on well-being support and policy formulation.Contribution/value-add: By focussing on emotional intelligence, the study aligned with SDG 3 and presented practical strategies embedded in a model designed to enhance the emotional well-being of academics.