NEW DELHI: A new LinkedIn report on Tuesday revealed that 87 per cent (nine out of 10) Indian professional workers believe that sharing emotions in the workplace makes them more productive and enhances their own feelings of belonging.
The research has shown that more than 76 per cent (three in four) of Indian professionals have become more comfortable expressing their emotions at work after the pandemic. This change is reflected in LinkedIn too, as the platform has witnessed a 28 per cent increase in public conversations.
Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) admitted to having cried in front of their boss -- a third (32 per cent) having done so on more than one occasion.
"The past two years have been tumultuous, to say the least, but have also made people realise that they can be more vulnerable and candid with each other at work," said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn.
However, seven in 10 (70 per cent) professionals in India believe there is a stigma around sharing feelings at work.
Due to this, over a quarter of professionals in India are still worried about wearing their hearts on their sleeves out of fear of looking weak (27 per cent), unprofessional (25 per cent), and being judged (25 per cent).
Unfairly, women are bearing the brunt more, with almost four in five (79 per cent) professionals in India agreeing that women are often judged more in comparison to men when they share their emotions at work, according to IANS.
Gen Z and millennials are leading the way in expressing themselves and feeling more comfortable than ever to open up at work. In comparison, just 20 per cent of boomers (aged 58-60) share the same comfort with expressing themselves at work, the report said.
Over three-quarters of professionals in India agree that "cracking a joke" at work is good for office culture, but more than half (56 per cent) consider it to be 'unprofessional'. Despite these mixed feelings, nine in 10 professionals in India agree that humour is the most underused and undervalued emotion at work.
The report also mentioned that more than three in five professionals are keen to see more humour used in the workplace. In fact, South Indian professionals are usually the ones who make the most jokes in the country, followed by professionals in other parts of the country.