Are We Too Emotional About Emotions At Work?

Hello Human

“We hope we have convinced readers that an understanding of emotion and emotion management is critical in the workplace. We believe, however, that we are seeing only the tip of the iceberg in our realisation of just how intense and long-lasting the effects of workplace emotional challenges can be.

Negative emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness can be seen in today's organisations.

How do managers help their employees cope? What is appropriate? We don't claim to have provided all the answers to these questions. Clearly, however, the advice of managers to employees on emotional matters must be honest, open, and consistent, and both employees and managers need to communicate about their true feelings.

Styles of organisational coping with employee emotion will predict both whether or not organisations capitalise on emotional challenges (e.g., increased customer service and organisational performance), as well as their ability to prevent negative outcomes (e.g., increased employee stress and burnout).

Managers have a variety of tactics and strategies at their disposal, but it will take time to test out these strategies and to learn to use them most effectively.”

I have been thinking about the ‘showing of emotions’ and the ‘sharing of personal stories’ at work, quite a bit lately.

These topics come up regularly in my Courses and Coaching Sessions.

How much is too much to share at work? Should I share more, or less? Who at work needs to know about my story and situation outside of work? What will be the impact if I do, or if I don’t, share my story at work?

Great questions. Questions without an easy or a one-size-fits-all answer. Oh and don't I love it when there's not a one size fits all answer as we step right into the magical space of what is a true Adaptive Challenge.

‘Emotions at work’ presents another opportunity to open up a conversation here in 2024. I am thinking this could be a solid feature in an upcoming Podcast too. I’m open to recommendations of specialists in this space if you know one.

The extract at the start of my Muse is from an article written way back in 2002, by Neal M Ashkanasy, and Catherine S. Daus. “Emotion in the Workplace: The New Challenge for Managers.”. The article was published in The Academy of Management Executive (1993-2005), vol. 16, no. 1.

The authors were spot on in 2002 when they wrote ‘that we are seeing only the tip of the iceberg in our realisation of just how intense and long-lasting the effects of workplace emotional challenges can be. Negative emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness can be seen in today's organisations.’

22 years on, when I see and hear what’s going on at work and in workplaces today with the current economic and social pressures that many are facing; along with the lasting effects of the global pandemic; the evidence is clear - it’s tough and getting tougher.

I often hear about ‘the fear, sadness and anger in today’s organisations’.

In the face of these emotions in my own work at times I feel at a loss to be able to offer something of value and of use to my clients. My own search for answers continues too.

The 2002 article is helpful here though:

‘employees and managers need to communicate about their true feelings’.

Communication is a common mantra though. Let me break it down. Communication requires speech.

Speech!

In his book ‘The Heart Aroused’ Irish Poet and Philosopher David Whyte wrote this about speech:

“In the office we can experience the disciplines of speech and the inner silence from which good speech appears, as a measure of soul in our lives. Sometimes the voice is cowardly, sometimes courageous, and more often somewhere between the two, but whatever its outward appearance, tempered by the pressure of organisational life, it represents the urgencies, desires, or emotional strangulation of a soul longing to be heard in the world.”

Urgencies and desires. Emotions at work. Souls longing to be heard

There’s something in that I reckon.

Go well Human