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IMDR’s Journal of Management Development & Research 2023-24

themselves and colleagues. This "emotional toolkit" fosters collaboration, resilience, and achievement,
creating a thriving workplace.

HR can cultivate this toolkit by incorporating EI assessments, behavioural interviewing, and training programs
into their practices. Performance reviews can include EI feedback alongside technical skills, and leadership

development can prioritize emotional awareness and team support. This isn't just about "feeling good" – it's

about building a human-centric workplace where employees feel valued, empowered, and ready to excel. This
translates to reduced turnover, increased engagement, and ultimately, organizational success. EI isn't just a soft

skill; it's the key to unlocking human potential and building a future where people and organizations thrive
together.

Psychological contracts are informal agreements between employees and organizations that outline what each

party expects from the other (Rousseau, 1995). They are based on the employee's individual beliefs about the
terms of the exchange agreement (Rousseau, 1995).

Psychological contracts are made up of employees' beliefs of their employer's duties as well as their own
commitments. These impressions are affected by the promises and incentives that firms make to their

employees (Bal, Jansen, van der Velde, de Lange, & Rousseau, 2010; Rousseau 1995).

According to Suazo, Martínez, and Sandoval (2009), psychological contracts are subjective and exist solely

in the employee's mind, unlike official contracts. They are critical to understanding the exchange connection

between employees and organizations (Rousseau, 1995; Dabos & Rousseau, 2004).

Studies on emotional intelligence and its benefits for and its relationship to the workplace constructs (Langley,

2000; Zeidner, Matthews & Roberts, 2004) have grown to a body of evidence that emotional intelligence can
serve as a promising construct in the investigation of workplace phenomena. A substantial amount of emotional

intelligence research has been focused on exploring its components that creates success in people, especially

in the organisational context, such as leadership and how empathy (a component of emotional intelligence)
contributes towards it (Kellett, Humphrey, & Sleeth, 2002; Wolff, Pescosolido, & Druskat, 2002).

However, studies on an important construct like the psychological contract that in essence captures the feeling
or experience of the employee in the workplace (Rousseau & Tijoriwala 1999) have also been linked strongly

to workplace phenomena with many implications which will be explored in the literature.

Conceptual Framework:

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the capacity to detect, comprehend, and control your own emotions as well as
those of others. It includes a variety of abilities that contribute to positive interpersonal connections, personal

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