Relationship between emotional intelligence and work performance among UAE’S police officers: the mediating role of work engagement and resilience

Security is regarded as one of life's fundamental requirements; therefore, police institutions are one of the primary pillars of a safe and stable society, especially in the sectors of identity, nationality, customs, and port security. Thus, scholars and practitioners indicate that a low level of police officials' performance is currently one of the most alarming social and economic problems. Therefore, the current study explores the correlation among emotional intelligence ability (EI-ability), work engagement (WE), employee resilience (ER), and work performance (WP) in the police sector in a developing country such as the UAE's Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP). Additionally, it examines the mediating effects of WE and ER on the relationship between EI-ability and police officers' WP in the UAE's ICP. The theoretical framework is based on extant literature to accomplish these objectives, utilizing the Conservation of Resources (COR) and Job Demands-Resources (JDR) as foundational theories. To fulfill the study objectives, a quantitative cross-sectional survey method was employed to gather data from a population of 970 police officers working on the front lines in the UAE's ICP. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 300 ICP police officers selected through simple random sampling, yielding 253 usable responses, achieving an impressive response rate of 84 percent. The collected data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to assess the study's hypotheses. The results indicate a significant and positive influence of EI ability, WE, and ER on police officers' work performance. Furthermore, EI ability was found to have a positive and significant impact on WE and ER within the UAE's ICP police officers. Crucially, the findings reveal that WE and ER partially mediate the relationship between EI ability and police officers' work performance in the UAE's ICP. These findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the relevance of EI, WE, and ER as personal resources and abilities in enhancing police officers' work performance. Understanding these components enables police institutions' decision makers to optimize police officers' work engagement and resilience to enhance their work performance.