Life doesn't stop once we enter the office, no matter how well people try to manage work-life balance. And with Americans spending even more time behind their desks, the lines of what emotions we show at home and at work are beginning to blend. So has the taboo of crying at work shifted with this trend?
Some argue that we benefit from crying at work, and that it may even make us closer to our coworkers. Lisa Lee, a diversity program manager at Facebook, recently relayed her personal experience with workplace tears on a HuffPost Live segment.
“I’ve cried because something has been frustrating,” she said. “I’ve cried because there was something personal. But I’ve also cried because I’ve been so invested and passionate about a project I’ve been working on, where really great things are happening -- tears come out for that too.”
But she doesn’t believe that these emotional moments make her less professional in the workplace. “I think we associate crying, or the opposite of crying, not crying, as being in control all the time. We’re implying that having any sort of emotion that’s remotely visible means that you’re not in control.”
Lee shares more of her thoughts on the topic with host Janet Varney and guests Charlie Judy, an HR executive and talent management blogger, Chris Herbert, a writer, and Douglas Labeer, a business psychologist and psychotherapist.