Posted on 07/05/2025 6:01:50 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Pictures of a weepy UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves dominated the newspaper front pages and TV news after her tearful appearance at Prime Minister's Questions earlier this week.
Anecdotally, it's not unusual to cry at work. Several people got in touch with the BBC to tell us about their experiences.
Clara, 48, from Lancaster, said she had become emotional when she was a young graduate getting a "blasting", and years later "in frustration".
"I've also cried after receiving bad news from home and left work immediately."
Emma, meanwhile, felt she had to keep her emotions under wraps because she worked in "a tough male-dominated environment" and would give herself a hard time for "showing emotion or 'weakness'."
Although some research has suggested women are more likely than men to cry, plenty of men told us they had also shed tears in front of colleagues.
...
A 38-year-old from London who works in finance said he had become emotional at work when dealing with personal issues and felt it showed "a professional dedication" to still turn up.
So is crying a strength or a weakness? Executive coach and success mentor Shereen Hoban says it's old-fashioned to think weeping at work is unacceptable.
"We've moved beyond the old-school idea that professionalism means leaving emotion at the door," she says. "In today's world, emotional intelligence is a strength, not a liability."
Career coach Georgia Blackburn says it's not unusual for people at work to be upset, so firms need to know how to handle and support staff who are feeling a bit fragile.
Ultimately, she says it will mean workers get more done.
"An employer that truly listens, shows compassion and understanding, is so much more likely to keep their staff motivated and happier in the long run," she says.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
It could depend on whether crying is sincere, or being done as a manipulation. And if sincere, use sparingly. It’s generally off-putting to almost everyone around you.
I used to manage call centers. These were offices with 500 or so agents each in multiple locations. The staff was probably 85% female.
Someone crying at work usually happened on a day ending in “y.”
No one really gave the “act” much thought. Obviously we would verify why they were crying. Most of the time it had little to do with work.
And, abandoning “old-school idea that professionalism means leaving emotion at the door” is how you can spot a corrupted system and a batch of incompetent DEI hires.
I once supported a project where the Colonel in charge cried on several occasions. At one point, she started crying in a staff meeting because it was snowing and she was worried about her driveway.
I left the project shortly after that. I won’t work for someone I don’t respect. My view later shifted a bit: I decided I would never work for a woman. The new boss is a woman? I’m out the door.
The women claimed they wanted to be treated as equals by men in the world of work, but they expect to be allowed to cry like little girls at the office.
Suck it up, buttercup. Take it like a man, or go home.
Exactly.
Well said.
The BBC hopelessly woke, doing everything they can to prop up the left wing politicians and the Starmer government.
I’m a nurse. Seen a lot of and that’s just working with sadistic dysfunctional nurses - aside from some of the best of us. I also taught high school.
I haven’t cried at work yet.
The article seems insane, but the comments here reassure me that normals still exist with standards of behavior that make the world work smoothly.
Yes
There is No crying at work.
😉
It’s OK for chicks.
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