This study investigates the impact of emotional intelligence on the job performance of the banking employees in Sri Lanka with the mediation impact of occupational stress. The quantitative approach uses the confirmatory survey method, and it was verified. The data has been analyzed by using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The confirmatory factor analysis results, RAMSEA=0.089, CFI=0.920, and χ2/df, =3.437, show that the proposed conceptual model fit. The findings reveal that emotional

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... ligence has a direct effect of 0.385 on job performance and an indirect effect of 0.023 through the mediatory path of occupational stress, resulting in a total effect of 0.408, which is significant (p<0.05). Therefore partial mediation can be observed. Even though higher emotional intelligence leads to higher job performance, this positive impact is lowered due to the partial mediation effect of occupational stress. Therefore, it can be stated that to improve the banking employees' performance, and emotional intelligence can be used as a human resource management strategy.