Dive Brief:
- Organizations that value outward expressions of emotion, positive or negative, have happier employees, according to a new academic research paper from Germany, reports Futurity.org.
- The research suggests that, when people are faced with a difficult customer, for example, neutralizing emotions is more stressful than releasing them, and that employees need to express how they feel once they're away from an unpleasant encounter.
- The research also found that workers who interact face-to-face with customers are happier than those who don't, and that this phenomenon isn't limited to salespeople or others with direct customer contact.
Dive Insight:
Employers are realizing the benefits of allowing workers to be themselves at work. From disclosing mental health issues to revealing their LGBTQ status, employees are more engaged and more productive when they're able to bring their whole selves to work. This most recent research seems to indicate that includes the expression of emotion.
While employers are able to set some level of conduct expectations, allowing for candid discussions when employees are upset — and celebrating with them when they're excited about something — may go a long way for employee engagement and retention.
The wellness aspect of emotional openness can't be denied, either. As employers work toward a more holistically healthy workplace, more managers are reconsidering the employee experience at a core level, including hours worked and the nature of the office space, to prevent burnout and encourage employee bonding.