Many of the leaders we coach are emphatic that the workplace is not an appropriate environment in which to express emotion. Consciously or unconsciously, they believe people should bring their brains only and leave their emotions at home. Some of these leaders have indicated that emotions in the workplace can lead to a lack of productivity, a sense of chaos, and bad optics.

The fact is, humans cannot help but bring their whole selves to work—heart, soul, and mind—and to present otherwise is to actually reduce our effectiveness.

Here’s the research to support the importance of acknowledging, expressing, and navigating emotions at work:

• “Emotions aren’t noise, they’re data,” wrote Sigal Barsade, formerly the Joseph Frank Bernstein Professor of Management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She argued that “the type of emotional culture an organization or department has—for example, whether it’s based on caring, optimism, or anxiety—predicts many important work outcomes, including employee absenteeism, teamwork, burnout, satisfaction, psychological safety, and objective performance outcomes like operating costs.”
• Emotions permitted and encouraged at work can lead to positive outcomes around creativity, innovation, and productivity found doctors Michael Parke, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School and Myeong-Gu Seo, Associate Professor of Management and Organization at the Robert H. Smith School of Business.
• Identifying and tying a non-verbal cue to an emotion—a frown, furrowed brow, or look of excitement—can demonstrate concern and build trust, found Alisa Yu, PhD candidate in organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and her coauthors, Justin Berg, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Stanford GSB, and Julian Zlatev, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.
• Experiencing empathy from others at work increases engagement, innovation, feelings of inclusion, and retention, writes Tracy Brower, PhD, a sociologist and author of two books: The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bring Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work.
• Suppressing emotions leads to significant increases in mortality found research published through the National Library of Medicine.

And finally, via Forbes Magazine, several tips for how to help your team effectively and productively navigate their emotions at work.

So, go ahead, feel your feelings, and share them. It’s good for you and the people around you.

Jennifer Porter
Managing Partner, The Boda Group