The Effect of Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence on Intention to Stay among Gen Y Employees. The Mediating Effect of Employee Engagement.

Abstract

One of the challenges faced by organizations is the retention of employees. This study aimed to empirically test the relationship between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and generation Y employees’ intention to stay. In addition, the mediating effect of employee engagement was tested. This was a quantitative study that used a survey strategy to collect primary data. The target population were generation Y employees in the ICT sector in Malaysia. By using simple random sampling, a snapshot of data was collected from 369 respondents. The results revealed that all the four dimensions of emotional intelligence, namely self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness and relationship management, were significant predictors of intention to stay. It was also found that employee engagement had a mediating effect between emotional intelligence and intention to stay. From the practical perspective, the result of this study provides a better understanding to human resource managers on the essential role of emotional intelligence in retaining generation Y employees. In addition, the results of this study also contributed to the growing body of knowledge on the role of emotional intelligence and employee engagement.