Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Job Burnout; Mediating Effect of Emotional Labour

Abstract

This research explores the impact of emotional intelligence on job burnout and the mediating role of emotional labor among IT professionals in Sri Lanka. The study encompasses a population size of 383 individuals. Using a survey approach with a cross-sectional time horizon and simple random sampling, the study reveals significant statistics. Results indicated a strong negative correlation between emotional intelligence and job burnout, suggesting that individuals with superior emotional intelligence experience lower job burnout. A positive correlation between emotional intelligence and emotional labor implies increased emotional labor for those with higher emotional intelligence. Furthermore, emotional labor shows a negative correlation with job burnout, associating greater emotional involvement with lower burnout. Regression analyses confirm these relationships, highlighting that emotional intelligence significantly predicts emotional labor and job burnout. Emotional labor, in turn, predicts job burnout. Statistics strongly support emotional labor as a mediator between emotional intelligence and job burnout. In summary, the research emphasizes that heightened emotional intelligence is linked to reduced job burnout, partly due to increased engagement in emotional labor. The implications for human resource management are substantial, suggesting that interventions targeting emotional intelligence development and emotional labor management may alleviate job burnout among IT professionals. These findings provide a statistical foundation for informed strategies to enhance emotional well-being and overall performance in the workplace.