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Working productively: Emotions on the job

Managing your emotions in the workplace is important because today's workplace can present challenges. Change is constant due to reorganizations, mergers, transfers and individual job changes. Most of us juggle multiple priorities, sometimes with limited resources. And the workforce is more diverse than it has ever been with a wide range of people of different ages, backgrounds and beliefs working together.

To succeed in today's work environment, it's important to understand our emotions, control our reactions and recognize how our emotions affect our actions and the actions of others. When we manage our emotions, we are better able to handle the changes and challenges our jobs bring.

Five hard-to-handle emotions
The range of emotions we experience at work is enormous. Whether we are aware of it or not, we constantly move from one emotional state to another as we work.

Some emotions present an extra challenge when we encounter them at work. The five common, hard-to-handle emotions in the workplace that we need to pay attention to are: fear, anger, depression, guilt and insecurity.

Fear
Some experts say that fear is the emotion felt most often at work and by the greatest number of people. Fear often produces physical symptoms of anxiety. This includes headaches, heart palpitations, sleeplessness and heartburn. It is a common response to change or impending change -- such as a new supervisor, new coworkers or new expectations -- and the uncertainty that this can bring.

Anger
Yelling and slamming doors come quickly to mind as examples of anger. But it is important to remember that anger takes many forms that are not physical. People sometimes turn their anger inward and become anxious and depressed. Others misdirect their anger to safer targets in their personal lives without being aware of it. Many of us, after a bad day at work, have gone home angry and erupted in an angry outburst at a partner or family member. Unmanaged anger has obvious costs -- in productivity, team relationships and physical and emotional well-being.

Depression
Everyone has a bad day now and then. Feeling down can be a response to a disappointment -- such as not being recognized for an achievement at work -- or feeling overloaded. Some people feel down after they've finished an important or especially exciting project and return to more ordinary tasks. Others feel low because of circumstances in their personal lives. Most people bounce back from these occasional blues. But left unchecked, feeling depressed can interfere with productivity and relationships. It's important to keep in mind that a prolonged period of feeling low or experiencing feelings of worthlessness and despair can be a sign of a more serious depression that may require treatment with professional help.

Guilt
Guilt is the emotion many people feel when they aren't living up to their standards or the standards they believe others have for them. Guilt can take the form of feeling undeserving or inadequate or that you aren't managing your time well enough. Guilt is an emotion many people feel who try to balance their work and personal lives. For instance, many parents feel guilty about not being at work when they are at home and about not being at home when they are at work. People who feel guilty often become angry at themselves or others.

Insecurity
Most people experience insecurity or self-doubt at some time or another. Feelings of insecurity are often fueled by the fear that we are being excluded. This fear can also lead to jealousy. Fortunately, these feelings are usually fleeting. But sometimes feelings of jealousy, inadequacy and lack of confidence can be so strong that they inhibit our ability to work in a group. For example, insecurity can make us afraid to speak at meetings when we disagree with a decision. This hesitation can affect our work. And feelings of jealousy can erode trust and make it impossible for us to work with others productively.

Ways to manage your emotions at work
It's possible to become more aware of your emotions and to recognize and identify your feelings so that you understand what triggered them and learn to manage them more effectively.

Recognize your emotions in their early stage, before they feel out of control.
By reviewing your day's activities and the feelings that were triggered by them, there is a good chance you will discover the source of the difficult feelings you experienced. If writing things down helps you clarify your thoughts, you might try doing this as you review your emotions and the work circumstances in which they occurred.

Learn to express your emotions in appropriate ways.
Once you've identified how you're feeling, allow yourself to deal with those feelings in appropriate ways at work. If you feel angry, for example, take a little time to consider what may have triggered the feeling and consider actions you could take to diffuse such a situation in the future. You don't need to pretend you're not feeling the way you are, but you do need to deal with the emotions so that they do not affect your interactions with others.

Give appropriate feedback to clear the air.
For example, if a coworker has said something in a meeting that offended you and this bothers you, talk with the person about it. Focus on what was said or done without attacking the person individually. Remember, even though expressing your emotions can be useful, it's never appropriate to yell at or demean others.

Remember how you managed a problem in the past.
If an event at work -- such as a conflict with a coworker or an unusually stressful workload -- triggers an emotional challenge, consider how you overcame a similar problem in the past. What worked? What didn't?

Seek support from a professional.
Talking to a professional can help you gain perspective on problems and come up with solutions as well as specific techniques that will help you manage your emotions more effectively.

Build up your emotional resilience.
Pay attention to your overall physical and psychological health. Eat well, get enough sleep and exercise regularly. If you're well rested, well nourished and physically strong, you'll have more energy to meet emotional challenges.

Maintain support systems outside of work.
Talk honestly with close friends and family about your concerns. This can help reduce your anxiety and keep problems in perspective. Choose someone you trust who will give you honest feedback when you need it.

Cultivate interests outside of work, including activities with good friends.
Remember, not all satisfaction comes from work accomplishments. Find activities and hobbies that help you relax, have fun and take your mind off of work.

Learning to manage our most challenging emotions well takes effort. But the payoff is worth it. We learn to deal with problems before they overwhelm us, we're better team participants and, most importantly, we increase our sense of control and effectiveness in our lives -- both inside and outside of work.

This article is adapted from Ceridian's LifeWorks Online service. Contact your Ceridian representative for more information about Ceridian's health and productivity solutions.