It is not that emotions have no place in the workplace, or maybe not at all? Maybe when we weight them but emotions are emotions, or are they different? I look at two: Constructive emotions can be motivating and can enhance understanding. But excessively intense emotions block effective communication and hinder problem solving.
Maybe we cannot change the way people feel or emotionally behave at work; maybe we can only change the way we react to emotions.
Emotions are part of being human and, as a result, part of how we work. In a working environment where expectations are often high emotional outbursts can seem like the norm rather than the exception.
But who should calm this down, the manager? The manager most of the times appears under more pressure than everyone at workplace because he/she set the tone by appearing to be in control. Generally, is pressure the same across spectrum, and who should learn to absorb?
Is pressure healthy for the business? Well, maybe not, maybe good if filters well.
Speaking under correction, complexities of business make an emotion-free workplace unrealistic, so managers are better served to learn to handle it appropriately versus trying to banish it from the office altogether.
Maybe the unflappable boss is a management myth, how to effectively handle job stress and why big girls do cry after all.
The demands of being in the business constant time crunch for strategic planning. As a manager, there is added pressure to maintain a management style that keeps a lid on emotions.
I think a lot of us feel like we have to put on some kind of armour when we come into the workforce but, really, does everyone likes to work for Mr. or Miss Perfect? “Even Napoleon had his Watergate”.
Managers who are honest about their struggles will earn extra employee loyalty and trust. If your team does not know that you have a sword hanging over your head that is making you agitated, they cannot possibly help you in the way you need it. If manager keeps it all in because he/she tries to be superhuman and then explode mid-month when every employee is drained and broke, than that is not a fair game.
According to Rose (2009), a good manager might go deeper and look for what is triggering an employee’s emotional behaviour in the first place. This positions him/her to deal with issues at their root level and provides insight into the “danger zones” to avoid.
If you understand what is causing employees to react to situations emotionally, you are in a much better position to prevent an outburst by not letting things get to that point.
Maybe this as an area where great managers can really set themselves apart by approaching emotions as something healthy for business. I believe these profound social changes, in tandem with the new scientific insights into the ways each gender operates, will transform the future of interpersonal dynamics on the job.
* Gottlieb Ndeutapo Johannes