Buffering the blaze: emotional intelligence as a moderator between abusive supervision and employees’ mental well-being

Purpose This study investigates how emotional intelligence (EI) moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and employee mental well-being. Specifically, it examines the individual contributions of four EI dimensions – self-emotion appraisal, other’s emotion appraisal, use of emotion and regulation of emotion – in buffering the negative impacts of abusive supervision. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 648 employees through a structured questionnaire. The measures included scales for abusive supervision, EI dimensions and mental well-being. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS. Tests for common method variance and model fit indices confirmed the robustness of the findings. This research uses emotional contagion theory to frame its hypotheses and assess the buffering role of EI in workplace stress scenarios. Findings Abusive supervision negatively impacts employee mental well-being. However, two EI dimensions – use of emotion and regulation of emotion – significantly buffer this relationship, mitigating its adverse effects. Conversely, self-emotion appraisal and other’s emotion appraisal do not exhibit significant moderating effects. These findings highlight the critical role of strategic emotional regulation and utilization in fostering resilience, particularly in high-stress, abusive supervisory contexts. Practical implications Organizations should incorporate EI training programs focusing on regulation and use of emotion to enhance employee resilience to abusive supervision. Such programs can be integrated into leadership development and employee well-being initiatives. By fostering emotionally intelligent work environments, organizations can mitigate the negative impact of abusive leadership, reduce stress-related mental health issues and promote overall organizational productivity and well-being. Originality/value This study extends existing EI research by differentiating the effects of its four dimensions in moderating the relationship between abusive supervision and mental well-being. It highlights the nuanced role of EI in non-Western workplace settings, providing a cultural and contextual perspective often missing in prior studies. The findings underscore the importance of developing targeted EI skills as resilience mechanisms against toxic leadership behaviors.