The Crying Game: It’s OK to Cry at Work!

People cry at work, probably more than you think. Crying at work is OK. If it makes you uncomfortable, then that’s your problem.

For some reason, people tend to trust me with information they don’t generally share with others. I honestly have no idea why maybe I have a trustworthy face. But what people tell me a lot is “I had to go and cry in the toilet”.

Knowing that people are hiding this makes me sad. It makes me sad that people feel the need to hide how they are feeling. I’m aware that, due to human nature, it’s not comfortable for someone to watch another person cry. Crying is an expression of extreme emotion. You cry if you’re extremely sad, or extremely happy.

It’s also not easy to be seen to cry; at this moment, people feel their most vulnerable. But I want to try and break this stigma. I’ve cried a lot at work.

I cried:

• When giving a leaving speech to a company full of awesome people. I genuinely had to step away to compose myself before continuing.
• With pride when one of my team got on stage to collect an award for an amazing anti-nazi charity project, we had been building.
• Pretty much every time I’ve handed in my notice.
• When a manager challenged if my team cared about a project. A project that I knew they had put their all into.
• When my team didn’t win a prize at an awards ceremony.
• After closing the most significant project that I’ve ever pitched.
• After losing the second most significant project that I’ve ever pitched.
• Crying doesn’t show that you’re weak, crying shows that you care.

There is no need to go and do it in the toilet. There is no need to judge others for crying.