More than a third of Brits have, at least once, cried at work in the past year, according to a new study by Vision Direct.
The survey on 2,000 people across the UK showed that 66% of the people who couldn’t suppress tears in front of their colleagues were women, while only 34% who cried at work were men.
Expressing their emotions in the workplace is also something younger generations are more likely to do, as more than a third (34%) who admitted that they cried at work were Gen Z, followed by Millennials (27%) and Gen X (16%), while only 7% of Boomers had been brought to tears by their workplace.
Stress, burnout and work itself marked as top reasons for tears
People cry for a myriad of reasons, with stress being marked as a reason to cry by more than half of Brits (55%).
In the long list of reasons to cry, work-related reasons firmly found their place, with nearly a third of the nation (27%) admitting that burnout at work makes them cry. For 15% of Brits, work itself is a good enough reason for crying, while losing a job would make 14% of the nation cry.
Burnout cries highest in education, health care and social assistance
Despite more than a half (54%) of all organisations in the UK taking active steps to improve employee health and well-being, burnout in the UK is still high: one in five workers feel burned out.
Vision Direct study confirms that burnout is a significant reason to cry for nearly a third (27%) of the nation. Similar to those who cry at work, the results show that women are three times more likely to cry due to burnout than men, with 73% of women reporting burnout-induced tears compared to only 27% of men. The numbers also indicate that younger generations are more likely to cry due to burnout – a third (30%) of Millennials admitted it’s a reason to cry, followed by Gen Z (27%) while only 16% of Gen X said they would cry due to burnout.
Stats also revealed that crying because of burnout affects those who are employed for wages nearly 10 times more(68%) than those who are self-employed (7%).
As for careers, top careers in which people cry because of burnout are:
- Education
- Health care and social assistance
- Finance and insurance
- Government and public services
- Hotel and food services
- Construction
Only 1 in 10 people judge people who are crying
But even if your job has brought you to tears in front of your peers it isn’t likely to impact their perception of you. The data showed that only just over a quarter of people (26%) don’t think it’s okay to cry in public, while only one in 10 people judge people who are crying.
The old stereotype and perception that “crying is a sign of weakness” is changing. Sonal Thakrar, an Integrative Psychotherapist, Counsellor and Trainer says:
People frequently apologise for crying, but I believe it’s time to stop saying sorry for expressing our emotions. Crying is a natural biopsychosocial response, a part of the human experience from infancy that signals we’re in emotional overload and pain. Crying can provide relief and release pain, as research tells us that when we cry, our brain releases endorphins and oxytocin.
Sonal Thakrar, an Integrative Psychotherapist, Counsellor and Trainer
The survey results align with science, as nearly half of respondents (44%) admit they feel calmer after crying, and almost the same proportion (42%) say they feel relieved.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.
