(Examination of Emotional Intelligence Levels in Terms of Demographic Characteristics of Employees in Tourism Establishments)

Abstract

Purpose – Correct understanding of customer demands and expectations and meeting them in a timely manner are not only associated with the service provider’s technical skills but also their emotional ability. In addition to customer satisfaction, emotional intelligence also has an important role in terms of ensuring correct communication between employees and reducing conflicts. The aim of this study is to examine the emotional intelligence levels of hotel employees, one of the tourism enterprises, according to demographic characteristics, and to determine whether the level of emotional intelligence varies according to demographic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – Employees working in five-star hotels in Antalya province constitute the population of the research. The analysis was evaluated based on 583 people working in different departments of the hotels that responded to the survey, and the differences according to demographic variables were analysed using the parametric testing techniques t-Test and ANOVA analysis. In case of a difference in ANOVA test, Tukey test was used for double difference. Findings – No statistically significant difference could be found in terms of demographic characteristics consisting of gender, marital status, educational background, monthly income, total income of the family, whether their nationality is Turkish or foreign, whether childhood was spent in a different place, choice of profession and the dimensions of emotional intelligence. However, differences were detected with respect to emotional intelligence and the status of the employee, their duration of service in the enterprise, and the departments in which they work. Discussion – In this study conducted on hotel employees, it was observed that emotional intelligence scores increased in line with higher employee status. Although the result of this research cannot be generalised, it is considered it will contribute to the field.