The urge to cry at work can both come from positive and negative ends. Be it a promotion or a joyous occasion, or being terminated or losing that major deal you worked so hard on. Crying can be an unstoppable act sometimes but this biological reaction can ignite stereotypical responses.
Which is why a survey conducted focused on 1,000 American adults. It dug into the crying behaviors of people and indicated where and when it is appropriate. According to the report, women are more accepting of crying in public compared to men but the majority of both genders did say it is acceptable to cry.
Is it human or humiliating? The survey cited different opinions between genders. The social and professional risks asociated with crying in the office can create a compounding effect.
"If you start crying at your desk or while chatting with a co-worker at the coffee maker, on top of the source of your sadness, you may be concerned of what others will think of your emotional spectacle, making it harder for you to bring your tears under control," according to the report.
Sniffing and dabbing your eyes may prompt your colleagues to judge you while some may comfort you. Some even offer to provide privacy and temporary relief from your work duties. According to social network respondents, many said that crying is a natural behavior and emotion. Although some did state that crying in a professional environment could be detrimental to one's career and place in employment.
Some also highlighted that it is better to "let it go" rather than suppress your feelings as it can provide another set of negative effects - like anger, rage or depression. Some managers are even trained on how to handle emotional employees but the thought "get yourself together" will never be removed from most people's minds.
