Indians Feel Being Emotional At Work Boosts Productivity: Report

Majority of employees feel that showing more emotions at work makes them more productive and boosts their sense of belonging, according to a report by professional networking site LinkedIn.

More than 3 in 4 (76 per cent) professionals in India feel more comfortable expressing their emotions at work post-pandemic, the report, based on a survey conducted among 2,188 professionals in India between May 25-31, said.

As per the report, almost 9 in 10 (87 per cent) of the employees interviewed agreed that showing more emotions at work makes them more productive and boosts feelings of belonging.

Professionals in India are not holding back their emotions and are becoming more vulnerable, with nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) admitting to having cried in front of their boss, a third (32 per cent) having done so on more than one occasion, it said.

However, 7 in 10 (70 per cent) professionals believed there is a stigma around sharing feelings at work.

The report also said that over a quarter of professionals in India are still worried about wearing their hearts on their sleeves out of a fear of looking weak (27 per cent), unprofessional (25 per cent) and being judged (25 per cent).

According to the report, almost 4 in 5 (79 per cent) women professionals agreed that they are often judged more in comparison to men when they share their emotions at work.

Around 76 per cent of professionals surveyed in India agreed that "cracking a joke" at work is good for office culture, but more than half (56 per cent) consider it to be "unprofessional".

On the other hand, 9 in 10 (90 per cent) professionals felt that humour is the most under-used and undervalued emotion at work.

Globally, Indian and Italian workers come out on top as the funniest workers globally, with over a third (38 per cent) cracking a joke at least once a day.

Australian workers (29 per cent) emerged as the least funny compared to Germans (36 per cent), Brits (34 per cent), Dutch (33 per cent) and the French (32 per cent), it said.