1. Let’s talk about office life!
We end up spending a major part of our day at our workplace, and many of us refer to it as our ‘second home’, right? So if we can feel frustrated, irritated, elated during office hours, then is there something wrong in feeling emotional? Let’s put it straight—is it okay if you shed a few tears at the office? Would your colleagues start judging you? Will it impact your professional reputation? Here are a few things you should know about this scenario.
2. It’s okay to cry
Well, an employee is not a robot. Whether it is due something traumatic or unsettling that has happened in personal or professional life, it is natural (and in turn, human) to feel emotional about it. So, shedding a few tears should be seen in a negative light or become a hotbed of gossips.
3. You are not alone
In case you feel embarrassed about getting emotional over something at your office, you are not alone. Top industry leaders including Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, have admitted to crying at work and has urged people to stop treating it as a taboo.
4. How each gender views this situation!
As per a survey in author’s Anne Kreamer book Emotions at Work, 41 percent women and 9 percent have confessed crying at work. Surprisingly, male participants felt better afterward and quoting the exact words, “their minds felt sharper, the future seemed brighter, and they felt more physically relaxed and in control.” On the other hands, female participants felt “rotten afterward, as if they’ve failed a feminism test.”
5. Other details
The survey also indicated that an individual’s emotionally-driven behavior cannot be associated with a particular gender. In fact, there is a simple logic behind it! Those who tend to take things more personally are more prone to crying.
6. Keep this in mind
Having said it is okay to cry at the workplace, it is also important to make sure you don’t get way too much attention to your emotional behavior. It’s best to excuse yourself for some time and return to your desk when you are feeling better. Also, confide with your reason for being emotional only with the colleagues you trust; we do not need to explain why!
7. However, if it is too much
If you find yourself crying at the drop of the hat or your colleague expressing concern over it, it is the time you try to carefully analyze your behavior and work environment. There could be a high probability that you are overstressed and need to shake things up to bounce back to your normal self.
source: TNN/timesofindia.indiatimes.com