Controlling emotions at work

It is the basic characteristic of humans to be emotional more so towards the womenfolk. No matter how much balanced we may consider ourselves, still we react emotionally in a number of situations. Such impulsive behaviours often results from stress and are definitely not appropriate in the organizational context.

A counselor dealing with women issues explains, “Female executives go through a lot of pressures in the professional and personal front. They may not be comfortable working in a particular office but due to financial needs they may be compelled to do so. In such cases they may not be able to control themselves and give vent to their feelings in negative ways. No matter how much you tend to be rational your emotions will prompt you to act. You may feel irritable, frustrated or even angry. But you should be careful enough so that your emotions do not get the better off you.”

Ups and downs are a fact of life and we have to accept them as they come. However, concentration on work becomes nearly impossible when you are passing through emotional turmoil. In order to cope with such a situation a psychologist suggests, “The best way to get out of it is to talk to someone you rely on. It can be your husband, your colleague or even your children if they are grown up. Do not overdo to please everybody. Learn to say ‘no’ when you cannot stretch any further. Maintain a disciplined lifestyle. When you cannot control your temper just walk out of your cubicle and spend some time in the company’s games room or library. Go for a long drive with your family on weekends.” In fact the less tiring you feel, the less are your chances of reacting harshly with your coworkers.

A female executive working in the retail sector throws light on another aspect. She says, “When we have some problems in our personal life we tend to vent to it at work and vice - versa. Like one of my friends was having an adjustment problem with her spouse. She used to behave so rudely even with her boss until everything was settled all over again.”

We all go through difficult situations at home and work. But, we should be careful enough and manage particularly our negative emotions at work. This will help us maintain good relationship with our coworkers and climb up the corporate ladder as well. Moreover, it will to some extent take the label off from womenfolk being more emotional than men.

- Ranjita Chattopadhyay (views expressed in the article are that of the author)