Does emotional intelligence have a contribution to employee performance enhancement? Empirical evidence from the public sectors

ABSTRACT This paper aims to examine the contribution of emotional intelligence to employee performance enhancement in the public sector using evidence from Mersa Town, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. 200 respondents’ response was taken for this survey to meet its objective. An explanatory research design and a quantitative approach were applied. By employing stratified sampling, the employees were grouped based on their sector of expertise. The research employed primary data and a multiple linear regression model for analysis. The study’s findings showed that self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, and relationship management, that is, all emotional intelligence proxies, have a significant positive effect on employees’ performance enhancement in the public sector. As a result, this study suggested that the public sector should do a better job of promoting self-awareness and ensuring emotions are effectively managed in the workplace to have strong self-management. The public sector also needs to come up with policies that help employees to become more socially conscious by promoting teamwork, which will help them to become more adaptive at managing relationships. The study’s conclusions have theoretical and practical implications for the creation of focused interventions and regulations meant to improve employee performance through the use of emotional intelligence.