Showing more of our emotions at work could be the secret to boosting the nation’s work rate, according to the latest research by LinkedIn. Two thirds of workers (65%) say that showing their emotions at work makes them more productive and nearly half (49%) are more comfortable doing so now than pre-pandemic.
Despite 66% of employees having cried in front of colleagues and bosses, humour is the emotion most commonly shared - above anger, frustration and sadness - and is called out for being important for company culture by 80% of workers.
Over two in five (43%) British workers are now funnier at work than before the pandemic (according to them) with over half of employees (59%) cracking a joke at least once a day.
Despite this, 69% would like to see even more humour in the workplace, with 22% of the nation’s youngest workers (aged 16 to 24) believing that being funny at work will get you promoted more quickly - three times higher (7%) than those aged 55 and over.
British workers are amongst the most open in the world to cracking jokes in the workplace, as just 11% consider it to be unprofessional. This is compared to the likes of India (56%) and Italy (28%). Evidently, this is a generational change, with nearly a fifth (18%) of those 55 and over claiming to never have told a joke in the office, falling to just 2% amongst Gen Z’s and Millennials respectively.
We’re also more comfortable discussing ‘negative’ emotions, as 57% of people let their boss know when feeling overwhelmed and over half (54%) of people say that being more open with their feelings at work has made them feel less anxious.
In fact, topics of professional conversations are moving to include more personal subjects, as nearly two thirds (63%) of British workers now feel comfortable enough to talk about their family as well as bereavement (53%), burnout and stress (48%) and mental health (45%).
This shift is being reflected on LinkedIn, with 38% of members polled saying they have received more support when they have shared their feelings about work on the platform, which has seen a 28% increase in public conversations 1 .
To reflect this and respond to the 160% increase 2 in people asking for more expressions of humour on the platform, LinkedIn is launching a funny reaction. This builds on the existing suite of reactions to help members visually express their sentiment on posts and articles on LinkedIn. The funny reaction was rolled out globally on 28th June and has been used 8.4 million times to date.
Despite there being a clear benefit to opening up, 59% of people agree that there is still a stigma around sharing certain emotions. Brits are worried about wearing their heart on their sleeve for fear of being seen as ‘not able to cope’ (35%) and a fear of judgement (32%).
To encourage employees to open up, British workers cite their three top desires for creating a more open workplace; an improved work-life balance (43%), better emotional support from management (32%) and empathetic company culture (31%).
Charlotte Davies, Career Expert at LinkedIn, said, “A major benefit of having the lines between work and home blur during the past few years is having people feel like they can show more vulnerability and candour with each other. This is reflected in what we are seeing on LinkedIn, where members are more open in sharing how they are dealing with situations at work, whether it be balancing work and family priorities or setting boundaries to take care of their well-being. The funny reaction, which is a laughing emoji that can be used to express joy in response to a post or comment someone has shared, has been one of the most requested features from our members. We’re all human and it’s okay, even for professionals, to show our vulnerable and humourous sides, both at work and on LinkedIn.”
