Staffing firm OfficeTeam recently released the results of a survey on the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace.

The survey found that 95 percent of human resources (HR) managers and 99 percent of workers felt it is an important factor.

"The value of emotional intelligence in the workplace shouldn't be underestimated – it's vital to companies and teams," OfficeTeam District President Brandi Britton said in a press release. "When organizations take EQ (emotional quotient) into consideration when hiring and also help existing staff improve in this area, the result is more adaptable, collaborative and empathetic employees."

According to the results for the “Emotional Intelligence at Work: What It Is and Why You Should Care” survey, 65 percent of employees found EQ to be as valuable as intelligence quotient (IQ), while 21 percent actually rated EQ as more important. While 92 percent of workers felt their emotional intelligence was strong, 72 percent bosses rated their bosses’ that highly.

The majority of HR managers felt that EQ was adequately considered in the hiring process, with 30 percent reporting that it wasn’t, and 70 percent of HR managers said that they used reference checks to determine applicants’ EQ.