IMPACT OF PHYSICAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON EMPLOYEES' JOB PERFORMANCE IN HOTEL INDUSTRY

International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research Volume 12, Issue 4: October - December 2025 236 ISSN 2394 - 7780 IMPACT OF PHYSICAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ON EMPLOYEES’ JOB PERFORMANCE IN HOTEL INDUSTRY 1Dr. H. D. Sadhanandan and 2P. Vijay 1Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce,PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India 2Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India ABSTRACT The hotel industry is a highly people-intensive service sector where employee performance plays a critical role in service quality and customer satisfaction. This study examines the impact of the physical working environment and emotional intelligence (EI) on employees’ job performance in the hotel industry, with special reference to hotels in Coimbatore city. The research adopts an empirical and exploratory design and is based on primary data collected from 99 hotel employees across different hierarchical levels using a structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Statistical tools such as percentage analysis, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analysis were employed to analyse the data. The findings reveal a significant difference in employees’ perceptions of physical working conditions based on experience. Although physical working conditions show a limited and indirect influence on job performance, they remain an important factor affecting employee satisfaction and productivity. The study further establishes a strong and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. Among the EI dimensions, social awareness and self-skills emerge as the most influential predictors of employee performance, while self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation do not demonstrate a direct significant effect. The results highlight the growing importance of emotional intelligence competencies in the hospitality sector, where teamwork, interpersonal interaction, and service orientation are essential. The study concludes that hotel organizations should prioritize emotional intelligence development through structured training programs and foster supportive work environments to enhance employee performance and organizational effectiveness. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Physical Working Environment, Job Performance, Hotel Industry, Employee Productivity 1. INTRODUCTION Human performance is distinct as a effect of the measures set to accomplish an objective pedestal on a precise standard. It may comprise actions or behavior of all non perceptible psychological meting out i.e. decisionmaking, program planning, problem solving and logic reasoning (Bailey and Robert, 2003). Emotion is an influential psychosomatic deed that can have an effect on behavior and performance of individual in an imperative means (Brown et al., 1997). The conception of emotional intelligence (EI) strives to define EI within the confines of the standard criteria for a new intelligence that the ability to understand, amalgamates, facilitate thought, control and encourage personal growth (Salovey and Mayer’s, 1990). EI is the capability to distinguish your emotions, understand what others are telling and comprehend how emotions influence other people around. It also involves individual’s discernment of others when aware of how others feel; this allows individuals to deal with relationships more efficiently. One's capabilities include the capacity to self-motivate, endure in the presence of irritation, exercise self-control, postpone gratification, manage emotions, and prevent distress from overwhelming the capacity to think, emphasize, and maintain hope. (Goleman, 1995). Goleman also presents EI as a skill with two important aspects of emotional competence outline, personal competence i.e. which characterize how to administer ourselves and social competence i.e. which signify how to deal with relationships. Later, EI is refined as the ability for systematize our own way of thinking and of others, for inspiring oneself, and for controlling emotion well in oneself and in relationships. Emotional Intelligence (EI) has emerged as a crucial predictor of several favorable organizational outcomes, including organizational citizenship behavior, job satisfaction, job performance, and job commitment. EI involves effectively managing emotions to express them appropriately, thereby facilitating collaboration among individuals working towards shared goals within a productive and transparent environment. Which specific competencies of EI contribute to employee performance? Given that numerous organizations are actively seeking ways to improve performance and maximize operational efficiency, the initial imperative is to elevate the performance of their workforce within the organization. Achieving success in the hotel business necessitates cooperation among all staff members and employees. In doing so, it is crucial to ensure a fair distribution of tasks among employees, completed promptly. Effective coordination is not limited to employees within a department but also extends to fostering coordination with International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research Volume 12, Issue 4: October - December 2025 237 ISSN 2394 - 7780 other departments to collectively pursue the organizational objectives. Firstly, an optimistic upshot has useful results to hotel companies and to its workers. If workers satisfaction is increased which will increase their productivity and if work environment has a pessimistic effect it would impinge on the workers satisfaction negatively, which leads to lesser the efficiency (Mohamed Dardeer et. al., 2017). If there is a imperfection in one of environment element for one of management, it will change the rest of management negatively. The findings unveiled a significant link between Emotional Intelligence (EI), organizational commitment, and employee performance. Based on these findings, the present study aimed to investigate how evaluating distinct emotional intelligence dimensions, namely self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, and social skills, could directly assess the job performance of hotel industry employees. 2. OBJECTIVE The present study analyze the impact of physical working environment and emotional intelligence on employee’s job performance Research framework for Impact of Physical working condition and EI on Employees Job Performance Job Performance Emotional Intelligence •Self-awareness •Self-regulation •Self-motivation •Social-awareness •Social skills Physical working environment Source: Based on earlier literatures on EI and job performance 3. METHODOLOGY The present study is empirical and exploratory research in nature. The main study focuses on impact of emotional intelligence and physical working condition on employee’s job performance in hotel industry. This survey was conducted among all classes of employees in hotel in Coimbatore city. The primary data was collected through structured questionnaire and interview schedule. The format of the questionnaire was made simple and clear to the respondents. The sample size of the present study is 99 employees. The secondary data is collected from the different sources such as Journals, websites and search engines. Appropriate statistical tools were applied to analyse the data. 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 Socio - demographic profile The Socio-demographic factors such as Gender, Age, Designation and Experience of employees are shown below: Table No. 1 Socio demographic profile of the respondents Items No. of respondents Percentage Gender Male 78 78.7 Female 21 21.2 Age Under 20 2 2.0 21-40 81 81.8 41-60 16 16.1 Designation HOD 10 10.1 Manager 12 12.1 Executive 17 17.1 International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research Volume 12, Issue 4: October - December 2025 238 ISSN 2394 - 7780 Employee’s 60 60.6 Experience 0-5 years 54 54.5 5-10 years 30 30.3 10-15 years 13 13.1 More than 15 years 2 2.0 The above table no. 1 shows the socio-demographic profile (Gender, Age Group, Designation and Experience) of the sample respondents. The simple percentage result reveals that, majority 78.7per cents (78 out of 99) of the respondents are Male and 21.2per cent (21 out of 99) of the respondents are Female. Majority 81.8per cent of the respondents belongs to the age group of 21-40 years (81 out of 99), 16.1 per cent (16 out of 99) belongs to 41-60years age group, and 2 per cent (2 out of 99) belongs to Under 20years age group. The table also reveals that majority60.6per cent (60 out of 99) of the respondents are low level employees, 17.1 per cent are executives, 12.1 percent are manager and 10.1 percent are heads of the department.54.5per cent (54 out of 99) of the respondents experience was 0-5 years, 30.3per cent (30 out of 99) of the respondents experience was 5-10 years, 13.1 per cent of the respondents experience was 10-15 years and 2.0 per cent of the respondents experience was more than 15 years. 4.2 Physical Working Conditions The workplace environment holds paramount importance in ensuring employee satisfaction in today's dynamic business landscape. Modern workplaces are characterized by diversity and perpetual evolution. Consequently, the physical setting plays a significant role in shaping how individuals within an organization engage with one another, execute their responsibilities, and are led. As a component of the overall work environment, the physical space directly influences the human experience, subtly altering interpersonal dynamics and, consequently, productivity. The workplace comprises the surroundings where an employee carries out their tasks. Therefore, an effective workplace is one where outcomes align with management's expectations (Shikdar, 2004). In 2002, hotel workers experienced a higher incidence of job-related injuries and illnesses compared to employees in the broader service industry. Specifically, among full-time employees, 6.7% of hotel staff reported work-related injuries and illnesses, while the service sector as a whole had a lower rate of 4.6%. Moreover, hotel employees also had a higher frequency of work-related injuries and illnesses leading to lost workdays, with 1.8% of fulltime workers affected, in contrast to the 1.3% rate observed in the service sector, Room cleaners face a notably higher risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders (Bernhardt, 2003). It emphasize that maintaining the appropriate conditions in the physical work environment is essential to prevent employee stress during their job tasks (McCoy and Evans, 2005). The physical facility and place of work serve as a supplementary tool that management can utilize to improve performance (Humphries, 2005). Ho: There is no significant mean difference on opinion towards physical working condition among employees. Table No.2 - Opinion towards Physical Working Condition ANOVA Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Experience Between Groups 62.475 3 20.825 3.097 .031 Within Groups 638.879 95 6.725 Total 701.354 98 The above anova table shows the mean difference on opinion towards physical working condition among employees. The anova result reveals that, the p.value .031 is less than 0.05 at 5 percent level of significance. So, the null hypothesis isn’t accepted. Hence, there is a significant mean difference on opinion towards physical working condition among employees. 4.3 Effect of Physical Working environment on Job Performance A positive impact yields beneficial outcomes for both the hotel and its employees. When employee satisfaction rises, so does productivity. Conversely, a detrimental work environment can diminish employee satisfaction, subsequently lowering productivity. If one aspect of the work environment is dysfunctional for any facet of management, it can have adverse repercussions for the entire management structure. A subpar physical work environment can exert a negative influence on organizational outcomes, including employee satisfaction and productivity. International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research Volume 12, Issue 4: October - December 2025 239 ISSN 2394 - 7780 H1: Physical working conditions have a direct significant effect on the job performance of hotel employees The simple regression analysis was used to measure the variability in the dependent variable job performance is shown as follows: Y (job performance) = α+ β1 (physical working condition) + e Model Summaryb Mode l R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate Change Statistics DurbinWatson R Square Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change 1 .192a .037 .027 2.01989 .037 3.714 1 97 .057 2.042 a. Predictors: (Constant), physical working condition b. Dependent Variable: job performance The summary table above elucidates the overall predictability of the regression model. The independent variable "physical working condition" accounts for 3.7% of the variability in employees' job performance, as indicated by an R-squared value of 0.037. ANOVAa Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. 1 Regression 15.153 1 15.153 3.714 .057b Residual 395.756 97 4.080 Total 410.909 98 a. Dependent Variable: job performance b. Predictors: (Constant), physical working condition The ANOVA test results that above p-value of 0.057 is greater than and closer to 0.05 at a 5% significance level. Therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected. Hence, it reveals that job performance has physical working condition to some extent. Therefore, job performance depends on physical working condition, but it does not mean that physical working condition was considerably related with the job performance of the employees. Coefficientsa Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. Correlations B Std. Error Beta Zeroorder Partial Part 1 (Constant) 24.588 1.545 15.915 .000 Physical working condition -.147 .076 -.192 -1.927 .057 -.192 -.192 -.192 a. Dependent Variable: job performance The above regression coefficient analysis table explains the relationship between physical working condition and employee’s job performance. The result shows that the p-value (0.057) for physical working conditions is greater than and approaches 0.05 at a 5% significance level. Hence, the hypothesis is rejected. Hence, physical working condition has no significant direct effect on employee’s job performance but to some extent physical working condition has a negative effect on employee’s job performance. 4.4 Emotional Intelligence dimensions on Job Performance H2: Employee job performance is significantly influenced directly by Emotional Intelligence, encompassing self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, and social skills. Correlations Pearson Correlation job performance Self awareness Selfregulation Selfmotivation Socialawareness Self-skills job performance 1.000 Self awareness .474 1.000 Self regulation .473 .525 1.000 Self motivation .427 .613 .534 1.000 Social awareness .608 .483 .466 .454 1.000 Self-skills .746 .533 .523 .565 .470 1.000 International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research Volume 12, Issue 4: October - December 2025 240 ISSN 2394 - 7780 The above table 5.2 (a) shows the Pearson Correlational analysis between job performance and EI dimensions i.e. The elements of Self Awareness, Self Regulation, Self Motivation, Social Awareness, and Social Skills exhibit a noteworthy connection with employee job performance, as demonstrated by a significant relationship at a 5% significance level. The variables Self awareness 47.4 per cent; Self regulation 47.3 per cent; Selfmotivation 42.7 per cent; Social awareness 60.8 per cent; and Self skills 74.6 per cent have a significant relationship with the employee’s job performance. It is concluded that all five independent variables are correlated significantly with the dependent variable employee’s job performance. Among the all five variables, social awareness and self skills are highly correlated with the employee’s job performance. The above model summary table shows the overall predictability of the multiple regression model. All the independent variables (Emotional intelligence) explains (R square .648) 64.8 per cent variability in the dependent variable job performance of employees and all five variables are significant predictors. ANOVAa Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. 1 Regression 266.338 5 53.268 34.266 .000b Residual 144.571 93 1.555 Total 410.909 98 a. Dependent Variable: job performance b. Predictors: (Constant), Self awareness, Self regulation, Self motivation, Social awareness and Self skills The ANOVA table above indicates that the p-value of 0.000 is less than 0.05 at a 5% significance level. As a result, the null hypothesis is not rejected. This suggests that job performance is significantly associated with self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, social awareness, and social skills. However, it's important to note that job performance depends on these five independent variables, but not all of them are necessarily significantly correlated with employee job performance. Coefficientsa Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. Correlations Collinearity Statistics B Std. Error Beta Zeroorder Partial Part Toleran ce VIF 1 (Constant) 1.622 2.032 .798 .000 Self awareness .044 .111 .033 .394 .695 .474 .041 .024 .525 1.904 Self regulation .040 .086 .037 .462 .645 .473 .048 .028 .589 1.697 Self motivation -.121 .092 -.113 -1.318 .191 .427 -.135 -.081 .514 1.947 Social awareness .420 .094 .337 4.477 .000 .608 .421 .275 .666 1.500 Self skills .548 .073 .614 7.510 .000 .746 .614 .462 .566 1.767 a. Dependent Variable: job performance The regression coefficient analysis table above illustrates the relationship between job performance and the independent variables representing Emotional Intelligence dimensions: Self Awareness, Self Regulation, Self Model Summaryb Mode l R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate Change Statistics DurbinWatson R Square Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change 1 .805a .648 .629 1.24681 .648 34.266 5 93 .000 1.546 a. Predictors: (Constant), Self awareness, Self regulation, Self motivation, Social awareness and Self skills b. Dependent Variable: job performance International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research Volume 12, Issue 4: October - December 2025 241 ISSN 2394 - 7780 Motivation, Social Awareness, and Self Skills. The results of the regression coefficients reveal that the p-values for Social Awareness (0.000) and Self Skills (0.000) are less than 5% at a significant level, indicating that the null hypothesis is not rejected. This implies that both Social Awareness and Self Skills exert a direct impact on the job performance of hotel employees. Specifically, Self Skills exhibit a substantial direct effect on job performance, with a 61.4% direct significance (i.e., a one percent change in Self Skills results in a 61.4% change in job performance). Similarly, Social Awareness exerts a 33.7% direct significant effect on job performance (i.e., a one percent change in Social Awareness leads to a 33.7% change in job performance). However, the other independent variables, namely Self Awareness, Self Regulation, and Self Motivation, do not demonstrate a direct significant effect on job performance. 6. CONCLUSION The Indian hotel industry has experienced a significant resurgence in demand following the pandemic. This revival can be attributed to various factors such as increased discretionary spending on travel, the emergence of "revenge tourism," a more favorable economic climate supporting corporate travel, the resurgence of mega weddings and cultural events, among others. Achieving success in the hotel business necessitates cooperation among all staff members and employees. In doing so, it is crucial to ensure a fair distribution of tasks among employees, completed promptly. Effective coordination is not limited to employees within a department but also extends to fostering coordination with other departments to collectively pursue the organizational objectives. The nature of work within most organizations has undergone a profound transformation over the past two decades. While there has been a reduction in the number of management levels and a shift towards more inclusive and less autocratic management styles, there also a noticeable shift towards knowledge-based and team-oriented roles that prioritize client satisfaction. This shift has granted individuals greater autonomy, even within lower organizational echelons. As modern organizations continually seek to enhance their performance, they recognize the tangible benefits of higher emotional intelligence. These advantages encompass various aspects, including augmented sales, improved recruitment and employee retention, and more efficient leadership. Logically, the decisive factor for gauging success in the workplace has evolved. Employees are now evaluated not only based on their intelligence, training, and expertise but also on their interpersonal skills and personal qualities like resilience, self-control, and their ability to collaborate effectively with others. In hotel industry, occupied and well motivated employees are at the spirit of constructive restaurant experiences i.e. from how customers are welcomed when walk at the hotel doors, take-out order, get home deliveries and how quickly food is prepared and served. EI may be the (long hunted) missing linkages that amalgamate conventional “can do” ability determinants of job performance with “will do” dispositional determinants. So, the present study focused on the impact of EI and physical working condition on employee’s job performance. The study found that, there is a significant difference among employees opinion towards the physical working condition. It clearly states that, still the employees are very much concern about their working condition which has an impact on job performance to certain extent. The study also found that, the Emotional Intelligence (EI) plays a pivotal role in job performance, particularly in the dimensions of social awareness and self skills. Conversely, self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation do not seem to exert a substantial influence on job performance. To address this, the researcher suggests that modern organizations should implement targeted training programs focused on enhancing emotional intelligence and emotional competence. Such programs can effectively boost self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-motivation, ultimately leading to improved employee job performance. To further support these efforts, organizational leaders should foster a workplace culture characterized by flexibility, accountability, ethical values, recognition, transparency, and dedication. REFERENCES Bailey, R., & Roberts, S. (2003). Human performance and productivity. McGraw-Hill. Bernhardt, A. (2003). Workplace hazards in the hotel industry. Cornell University Press. Brown, S. P., Cron, W. L., & Slocum, J. W. (1997). Effects of goal-directed emotions on sales performance. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 39–51. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books. Humphries, M. (2005). Quantifying occupant comfort: Are combined indices of the indoor environment practicable? Building Research & Information, 33(4), 317–325. McCoy, J. M., & Evans, G. W. (2005). Physical work environment. In J. Barling, E. K. Kelloway, & M. R. Frone (Eds.), Handbook of work stress (pp. 219–245). Sage Publications. International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research Volume 12, Issue 4: October - December 2025 242 ISSN 2394 - 7780 Mohamed Dardeer, M., Elbaz, A. M., & Elshaer, I. A. (2017). Work environment, job satisfaction, and employee productivity in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 62, 87–96. Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185– 211. Shikdar, A. A. (2004). Identification of ergonomic issues that affect workers in industrial work environments. Applied Ergonomics, 35(5), 451–459. Wong, C. S., & Law, K. S. (2002). The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(3), 243–274. Yavas, U., Babakus, E., & Karatepe, O. M. (2008). Attitudinal and behavioral consequences of work–family conflict and family–work conflict in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 19(2), 193–213. Zeidner, M., Matthews, G., & Roberts, R. D. (2004). Emotional intelligence in the workplace: A critical review. Applied Psychology, 53(3), 371–399.