Emotional Intelligence and its Relationship to Work Pressures among Government Institution Employees in the Jerusalem Suburbs

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and work stress among employees of some government institutions in the Jerusalem Governorate. The study adopted a quantitative correlational approach, and data were collected from a sample of (152) employees using Goleman's (1995) emotional intelligence scale, which consists of (23) items, and Parker's (1983) work stress scale, which consists of (13) items. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software to examine correlations and test for differences. The results showed a high level of emotional intelligence, with social skills and motivation excelling, reflecting the employees' ability to face professional challenges in the context of Jerusalem. In contrast, work pressures were moderate, indicating moderate challenges related to the work environment. The study also revealed a negative inverse relationship between emotional intelligence and work pressures (with a correlation coefficient of -0.805), confirming that emotional skills contribute to reducing professional pressures.

The results did not show significant differences in emotional intelligence and work stress based on gender, years of marriage, or number of children, indicating homogeneity of experience among these groups. However, differences in marital status were observed between married and unmarried individuals, with married individuals scoring higher. Differences were also observed in favor of older age groups and those with longer experience, as well as differences in educational qualifications, favoring higher qualifications. Differences were also observed between urban and camp residents, favoring urban residents, and between villages and camps, favoring villages. This highlights the role of experience and environment. Similarly, senior positions outperformed in terms of emotional intelligence, while those with higher education levels experienced higher stress due to increased responsibilities. Based on these findings, the study recommends developing training programs to enhance employees' emotional intelligence skills, supporting new employees, promoting a supportive work environment, and considering the inclusion of emotional intelligence in hiring and promotion criteria.