If you’re having issues with worker engagement and turnover, a little work on the EQ front goes a long way.

That’s according to the nonprofit research firm Six Seconds, which worked with Amadori, an Italian agro-food sector company and European supplier to McDonalds, to implement a new human resources approach. They came away with some illuminating insights on how emotional intelligence and work environment affect overall job performance.

The study found that emotional intelligence—which Six Seconds defines as “a set of skills for understanding and using emotions effectively”—accounted for almost half of an individual manager’s performance level. It also found that emotional intelligence increased organizational engagement, higher organizational engagement achieved higher bottom-line results, and employee turnover dropped 63 percent during the study.

“The workplace climate is a driving force in how employees engage in their daily activities,” Massimiliano Ghini, a professor of management at Italy’s Alma Graduate School, said in a statement. “When factors such as trust and teamwork are present, the research shows that the company generates better results. So the conclusion is simple: If we want business success, we need to equip leaders with the skills to make an environment where employees can work effectively.”

Paolo Pampanini, director of human resources at Amadori, said in a statement that within a few years the system the two companies designed led to “an improvement of the managerial competencies of the whole structure and especially in those of middle management.”

He cautioned other companies looking to revamp their HR approach that any system to improve employee behavior “can produce value only if properly executed by the people within the company.”

Amadori isn’t alone on the emotional intelligence bandwagon: The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology used strategies based on emotional intelligence to keep its staff team working smoothly during a stressful website redesign.

(iStockphoto/Thinkstock)