9 in 10 Indians say sharing emotions at work boosts productivity

New Delhi: Nearly nine in 10 (87 per cent) professional workers in India believe that sharing emotions at work makes them more productive and boosts feelings of belonging, a new LinkedIn report said on Tuesday.

The research revealed that more than three in four (76 per cent) professionals in India feel more comfortable expressing their emotions at work post-pandemic.

This shift is also being reflected on LinkedIn, which has seen a 28 per cent rise in public conversations on the platform.

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 a 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.

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.

In fact, more than three in five professionals want to see the use of more humour in general at the workplace.

Overall, professionals in South India are cracking the most jokes in the country, followed by professionals in the other parts of the country, the report mentioned.