# Working Smarter: Work-Related Emotional Intelligence and the Family-Work Interface

## TL;DR

This paper explores how emotional intelligence at work helps employees manage conflicts between family and work life, reducing burnout and negative behaviors.

## Contribution

The study introduces the asymmetric role of work-related emotional intelligence in shielding against family-to-work conflict but not vice versa.

## Key findings

- Higher work-related emotional intelligence is linked to less family-to-work conflict.
- Employees with higher emotional intelligence show fewer counterproductive work behaviors and lower burnout.
- Emotionally intelligent employees are less affected by family-work conflict when it is high.

## Abstract

Employees have both work and non-work lives, and these domains of investment can interfere with each other. The present investigation (total N = 497) sought to understand the potential role(s) of work-related emotional intelligence (W-EI) in managing these forms of conflict, with samples consisting of full-time military personnel (Study 1), postdoctoral researchers (Study 2), and employees from diverse occupations (Study 3). Higher levels of W-EI were associated with lower levels of family-to-work conflict, but not work-to-family conflict, suggesting an asymmetric form of conflict shielding. Lesser experiences of family-work conflict also provided some explanation for why employees with higher W-EI levels were less prone to counterproductive work behaviors and work-related burnout. In addition, employees with higher W-EI levels were less prone to counterproductive work behaviors even when levels of family-work conflict were relatively high. The results highlight multiple ways in which employees with high W-EI levels manage the family-work interface.