Is crying acceptable in the workplace?
Onscreen, Tom Hanks once asserted that there’s no crying in baseball. Fine. But should PR professionals (or anyone) shed a tear on the job?
This story first appeared on PR Daily in September 2011.
It’s a powerful thing that often gets the better of us. At home. On the playing field. And sometimes, at work.
But is breaking down and shedding a tear acceptable in the PR workplace?
You’ll get arguments on both sides. Here’s where I stand on the topic.
Emotion is a part of life
Jim Valvano said it best in one of my favorite videos of all time: “If you laugh, think, and cry in one day. That’s a heck of a day.”
Crying is a part of life—a big part of life. So, why would we want to remove it from the workplace? Of course, there’s a time and place for it. Should tears be shed when things don’t go your way work-wise? Probably not. In other situations, I don’t think we should shun people who shed a tear when the situation calls for it.
Keep your feelings to yourself
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