Once More With Feeling: Emotions Belong in the Workplace

It is a controversial statement to say that emotions belong in the workplace. Many people will find that to be disagreeable and counterintuitive. BUT there is no other context in our lives in which emotional vulnerability isn’t encouraged.

This is not to say you should bring every small inconvenience from your day into every meeting. Or that you need to share every detail of your emotional life with your coworkers. Instead, I want to propose a third option. One that shows a true balance between professional courtesy, and emotional vulnerability.

Beyond connecting to others, emotional honesty can show your boss how much you care about your job. If you leave your feelings at the door,” there may not be the same opportunity for nuanced conversations about office dynamics. Because I don’t think it’s really possible to leave any part of you at the door at all. I really do think emotions belong in the workplace and play a critical role in your Career Success.

In the interest of empathy and inclusivity, keep an open mind as we dive into why bringing your honest and open self to work might not be the burden you think it is!

Why Your Emotions Belong in the Workplace

1. Connection builds community

While crying in your cubicle isn’t the best policy when there’s work to be done, seeing someone else express any emotion — pain or positivity — can bring a sense of togetherness when it comes to your work environment. So next time you get big news while you’re at your desk, don’t be afraid to show it.

When we think about workplace emotional stifling, we often picture someone crying in the bathroom and pulling it together before a meeting. Or we picture someone’s desk with framed photos of a deceased loved one they don’t speak about. You shouldn’t force yourself or others to share things they aren’t comfortable with, but allowing space for those emotions when appropriate can actually change someone’s life.

We also forget that joy is an emotion that is stifled when we don’t allow for freedom of expression on the job. So in the interest of spreading happiness — something that can actually lead to a more productive workplace altogether — we can use big emotions to connect and create community. We want to foster a sense of empathy within our teams. 

Whether you’re a manager who wants to bring your team closer together, or an employee who feels isolated, being emotionally open is one way to connect!

2. Management has a sense of your passions

On a very basic level, professional language practices can often limit your sense of expression. There are — rightfully — things you can and cannot say at work. That’s an important distinction from stifling your emotions. Saying whatever you want whenever you want is not sustainable for you or your workplace.

That being said, there are ways of expressing gratitude, excitement, hesitancy, or nerves around a new project to your manager while still showing up with a can-do attitude. And while maintaining professional boundaries.

In my work, I am candid and feelings-first in the way I speak to my manager. That doesn’t mean I am rude, or unprofessional. This has been honed over the time I have worked at Uvaro. Not only do my manager and I have a functional working relationship, but in opening up to them about personal issues that may affect my job performance, we are operating more efficiently and effectively than before.

I have always believed that emotions belong in the workplace. In my professional life, my understanding of myself and my limits and expressing those has had very positive effects on my relationships with management. Beyond that, even expressing nerves or disappointment has opened the door for conversations about growth and development that I would not have had otherwise.

3. Find your work support

With remote work becoming more and more common, it is more difficult to achieve a completely separate work-life balance. Your coworkers will have to meet your cat as she struts across the screen during a Zoom meeting. An elderly relative may be visiting and taking attention from your day and making you frustrated at the competing priorities.

It feels like the lines of work and life are blurring. The difference is, you’re expected to manage the emotional complexities of your job with your HOME support system but not the other way around. 

We all have feelings about work. Feelings of inadequacy, impostor syndrome, excitement, passion, frustration, and confusion. We’re human beings. We have emotions when confronted with things. Especially when we’re confronted with them for 8 hours every day. So, in the same way, that someone’s personal life will affect job performance, so will their job affect their personal life. Why don’t we offer ourselves the same emotional space on-the-job as we do at home?

If you are able to respectfully and earnestly express your emotions, there is an opportunity to build a lifelong support network right within your organization. Whether that’s through HR, among coworkers, or even with management.

4. Honesty counteracts burnout

Burnout isn’t always an easy thing to catch. Especially not when you’re holding back your emotions at work.

Burnout can show up in a bunch of different ways, maybe you:

• don’t feel motivated by the work you’re doing
• feel numb, drained, helpless and hopeless at work
• have exhaustion that doesn’t get better after breaks or weekends
• might turn to drinking or other substances
• feel fatigue both mentally and physically but may not be able to sleep
• are moody and irritable all the time
• struggle to make decisions
• retreat from your support network

Using opposite action is the best way to counteract burnout and stop stress in its tracks before it gets any worse. Opposite action is exactly as it sounds: doing the opposite action.

If you feel unmotivated, or exhausted: do something that you KNOW will fuel you. Feeling moody and irritable can be a sign telling you to spend some time with a loved one or pet. If you feel yourself wanting to isolate yourself from others, reach out for help instead. But we know that even with preventative measures in place, it can still be VERY difficult to maintain work-life balance long term.

Expressing these feelings of fear and exhaustion outright is the only way to acknowledge them and find help. Burnout is no joke and can have really severe consequences on your health. If you are burning out, tell your manager, or a trusted coworker and take the time you need to recover.

This sort of emotional vulnerability is ESSENTIAL both for your safety and for the greater good of your company. You wouldn’t run a marathon on a broken ankle, especially without a support brace! So don’t do the same with your feelings.  

Where can you turn? We’ve got your back.

No matter where you are in your career, you deserve to be heard and understood. Whether that's by your workplace, or an external network of support. Uvaro was founded to be somewhere to turn when you’re facing difficulties in your career. We support and encourage emotional vulnerability with Career Coaches and the Uvaro community at large. Emotions belong in the workplace, but they belong in the education sphere as well!

Take a look at our Career Success Catalog to see how we can best support you, and your wonderful, incredible feelings! We can’t wait to hear your story.