Assessing the role of emotional intelligence in reducing job stress and enhancing performance of health professionals

Employees in high-stress sectors like healthcare frequently face emotional and psychological challenges that can adversely affect both their performance and well-being. Understanding how personal competencies such as emotional intelligence can help mitigate these challenges and enhance job performance has become increasingly important. The study aims to determine the impact of emotional intelligence levels of healthcare workers in private healthcare institutions on their performance and to identify the mediating role of job stress in this impact. The methodological framework of the research includes the concept of human resources management and emotional intelligence theory. The study population comprises healthcare workers from six private hospitals in Sakarya, Turkey, totalling 341 participants. The survey method was utilized as the data collection tool. Data analysis incorporates descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and path analysis. The research findings show a statistically strong and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and performance (r = 0.656). A statistically significant, strong, negative correlation was found between emotional intelligence and job stress (r = –0.633). A statistically significant, moderate, negative correlation was found between job stress and performance (r = –0.565). In the conducted path analysis, it was found that emotional intelligence has a direct effect on job stress and performance, and job stress has a direct effect on performance. Additionally, job stress mediates the correlation between emotional intelligence and performance. The analyses suggest that higher emotional intelligence levels correlate with increased performance and reduced job stress among employees. Recommendations to improve EI levels among healthcare workers are given, such as to integrate training programs focusing on emotional management and stress coping strategies, implement EI analyses to identify areas for improvement within hospital units, and include EI criteria in recruitment standards.