EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF LEADERS’ EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND JOB SATISFACTION: AN EMPLOYEE-CENTRIC PERSPECTIVE

Employee retention and job satisfaction are crucial for the success of higher education institutions, as turnover incurs high costs and disrupts operations. This qualitative phenomenological study explored how leaders’ emotional intelligence, as defined by self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management emotional intelligence, impacts employee satisfaction and retention in university settings in Southern California. The theoretical framework used for this study was the emotional intelligence theoretical framework of Goleman et al. (2002), which includes self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management competencies to conduct surveys and interviews. The two research questions that guided this study of how employees described, based on their personal experiences, the impact of their leaders’ emotional intelligence on employee job satisfaction and retention at a Southern California university were: RQ1: What specific behaviors or actions of these leaders are identified by employees as indicative of high or low emotional intelligence? RQ2: How does a leader's emotional intelligence impact employee retention? Fifty-eight participants (28 current and 30 former) completed the Emotional Intelligence Assessment survey, and 14 participated in the interview portion of the study. Through data analysis of surveys and employee interviews, positive and negative themes emerged, helping to answer these research questions. The data revealed three themes: Positive Leadership Behaviors, Toxic Leadership Behaviors, and Negative Impacts on Employees. The study findings support the need for emotionally intelligent leaders as there is a relationship between a leader's emotional intelligence and their impact on employee satisfaction and retention.