Emotional intelligence as a key factor in mitigating workplace incivility and boosting employee performance in higher education

Purpose In the era of pandemic, the education system all over the world has faced chronic stress, among which workplace incivility is one of the issues that has received major attention in the Western contexts. Whereas in the Asian higher education system, such issues need more focused attention. Therefore, in this study, we highlighted the gap by examining the impact of workplace incivility on employee performance, along with the mediating effect of emotional intelligence in this relationship in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the quantitative method was used for the collection of cross-sectional data through a survey questionnaire. The respondents were the teaching faculty members at higher education universities in Pakistan using a homogeneous convenience sampling approach. Finally, we analysed 351 usable cases to achieve the desired outcomes. Findings The results obtained from the structural equation modeling(SEM) validate that the workplace incivility (WI) factors, such as hostility (HOST), exclusionary behaviour (EXBH) and gossip (GOSP), significantly affect employee performance (EMPPR) at a significance level of ƥ < 0.001 at higher education universities in Pakistan. On the other hand, the emotional intelligence (EMINT) establishes the relationship between WI factors and EMPPR. Practical implications The study findings will support policymakers and the leaders in academia to understand the impact of addressing WI and EMINT problems, and their substantial effects on EMPPR in organisations. This study will be valuable for cultivating a supportive environment and identifying the causes of job interference, which can improve issues related to unproductive EMPPR across various organisations. Originality/value This study presents an integrated framework that combines WI, EMPPR, and EMINT into a single model, addressing gaps and needs in mediation contributions and EMINT confirmation, specifically within higher education institutions in a developing context such as Pakistan.