Emotions in the Workplace? - American Society of Employers - Mary E. Corrado

Emotions in the Workplace?

I came across several articles recently that all revolve around emotions in the workplace.  After reading them I began to think how crazy it is to think that all employees will come to work everyday happy and content and remain that way eight hours per day, everyday of the week.  That’s just not normal human behavior.

Everyone goes through personal crises from time to time.  It would be unrealistic to expect employees, including leadership, to never express emotion at work.  Yet most articles I’ve read are all about managing your emotions at work – not expressing them.

An article on Entrepreneur.com made a fascinating statement: “The insane precedent we've set for employees to remove so much of themselves from their professional lives is not only unhealthy for individuals; it's also costing their employers in huge ways, even cutting enormous chunks out of corporate bottom lines.”  It goes on to state that, “By creating a workplace that does not allow people to share who they are, employers are essentially ensuring widespread workforce disengagement and high turnover.”

Not only do people have things going on in their personal lives, but they also experience ups and downs in the workplace.  Teams can often feel under the gun, frustrated, or even angry depending on the workload or the result of a project.  Teams should be encouraged to discuss their feelings in a productive way.  They should not feel afraid to express their feelings.  Doing so will create increased engagement versus employee withdrawal. 

Some tips given in the article to encourage employees to increase engagement and encourage emotional expression in the workplace include:

  • Encourage Expression – Create a culture where employees can openly share their emotions – both good and bad.  When a project is successful maybe a happy hour or a team lunch is in order.  But when another project fails, let them vent or express frustration.  Then you can move towards doing better the next time.

  • Reduce Stress – A workplace that discourages emotional expression will become stressful very quickly.  Humans feel emotion and hiding that all day long takes a toll.  According to Eastern Kentucky University research, companies spend approximately $300 billion annually for health care and work absences that are due to stress.  Major causes of stress in the workplace include workload (46%), people issues (28%), juggling work/life (20%), and lack of job security (6%).  52% of U.S. workers admit to calling in sick because of stress and 47% have changed jobs due to stress.  Be aware of stress in the workplace and keep an eye on workloads.  Today’s organizations tend to run thin, but if you are overworking or overloading your employees, they will become stressed.  Production and efficiency will decrease and turnover will increase. 

Expressing emotion at work can be healthy and should be encouraged.  Employees, especially Millennials, want to bring their whole self to work everyday.  Most of us are together 8+ hours a day, often times, more than we spend with our family.  We should be able to be our true selves and not have to hide happiness, sadness, or frustration.

Do you encourage emotional expression in your workplace?  Email me at [email protected].

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