Have you ever cried at work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many, many times. I have a lot of really bad learning disabilities and don't understand a lot, and screw up a lot. It's very frustrating.

Similar and I feel for you. Lately I've struggled to get up to speed on a new assignment. A team member came in to help me at my desk and it was confusing.They did fine explaining things but my brain almost has a lag in comprehension. Everyone is supportive but I get in the car to drive home and the waterworks start!

Same I have to put in so much start up energy just to stay afloat and I never get to anything good am always struggling.

[Anonymous]

Please please don’t!!

- your coworker

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many, many times. I have a lot of really bad learning disabilities and don't understand a lot, and screw up a lot. It's very frustrating.

Similar and I feel for you. Lately I've struggled to get up to speed on a new assignment. A team member came in to help me at my desk and it was confusing.They did fine explaining things but my brain almost has a lag in comprehension. Everyone is supportive but I get in the car to drive home and the waterworks start!

Someone tried to teach me SmartSheets over the phone at work. I was so lost , and every time she said “it’s so easy!” I wanted to bash my head through the wall. Four years in, and I can barely use it. Same with Webex- like 5% comprehension .

[Anonymous]

Yes.

1) Decades ago when I first started and was the obvious target of antisemitism (like they yelled “Jew” at me so it was pretty obvious).
2) When my house burned down and I went back to work a few days later.
3) When a co-worker berated me at a meeting and I was 9 months pregnant.

We are all human.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes.

1) Decades ago when I first started and was the obvious target of antisemitism (like they yelled “Jew” at me so it was pretty obvious).
2) When my house burned down and I went back to work a few days later.
3) When a co-worker berated me at a meeting and I was 9 months pregnant.

We are all human.

FWIW all of these happened before I was 28, but I think that things happen in life and sometimes you have no choice but to react.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes.

1) Decades ago when I first started and was the obvious target of antisemitism (like they yelled “Jew” at me so it was pretty obvious).
2) When my house burned down and I went back to work a few days later.
3) When a co-worker berated me at a meeting and I was 9 months pregnant.

We are all human.

How true but sh*t happens in life, it's important that you deal with it professionally.

[Anonymous]

Yes as a younger worker I was subjected to workplace bullying by several different people in a "clique". Coworkers literally telling me I'm stupid, they don't like me etc. I probably wasn't more than 22 or 23 at the time and didn't handle it so well. I know better now and nip any hint of a personal attack in the bud fairly quickly these days.

[Anonymous]

We all cried. That's what happens when there's an active shooter in your workplace. Welcome to America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes.

1) Decades ago when I first started and was the obvious target of antisemitism (like they yelled “Jew” at me so it was pretty obvious).
2) When my house burned down and I went back to work a few days later.
3) When a co-worker berated me at a meeting and I was 9 months pregnant.

We are all human.

How true but sh*t happens in life, it's important that you deal with it professionally.

Sometimes being professional is to recognize that people are human.

Should people cry all the time in response to mild stressors …..like someone throwing away a brownie they made? No.

If someone is having difficulty in their lives, it should not be expected they leave it at the door. Yes, do your job, close the door, hold it together. But the occasional time someone is overwhelmed with emotion? It happens. If it’s never happened to you, that’s fine. That doesn’t mean it’s unprofessional to shed a tear at an office.

If you’ve never been publicly humiliated by a coworker or had something so devastating in your personal life that you couldn’t sit “professionally” for 8+ hours and pretend to be okay, I’d say either your life is abnormally happy or you should see a therapist about your ability to process emotion.

If you can’t handle someone crying behind a closed door for 10 minutes because their house burned down 4 days ago, you need to re-evaluate your empathy.

[Anonymous]

Yep. Kid was about to get kicked out of daycare (thankfully it worked out) and employer was making hard push for RTO. I broke down. Colleague was super empathetic. Embarrassing but showed that I work with good people

[Anonymous]

Never. I came close the day our dog was dying. I came in early to distract myself, but the boss was a dog person and sent me home immediately. It was the right call, because we wound up having to put the dog down that afternoon.

[Anonymous]

Once when I found our via email that a friend from grad school had dies in a tragic accident. Only the colleague who sat next to m saw though.

The other time was on my last day, after working there for 10 years. I had mixed feelings about going even though I knew it was the right move, I was also pregnant and hormonal. So embarassing!

[Anonymous]

Twice when I was much younger and in frustrating work situations. Both times it was mortifying. My almost-50 friend in a very senior position recently told me she cried at work after one of her subordinates complained about her. Her role is very high and her boss is REALLY senior - yikes I felt bad for her but felt like she should have kept that in check.

[Anonymous]

Never in front of other people. But often after someone left my office or on the way home. I'm very sensitive to criticism and I was a BigLaw associate in my 20s so that added up to a lot of tears.

[Anonymous]

Yes, all the time, when I worked at pretty classic Biglaw New York sweat shop. Truthfully, lots of people did.

So glad those days are behind me.