87% Of Indian Professionals Believe Sharing Emotions At Work Boosts Productivity, Morale: LinkedIn

The study showed that more than 3 in 4 (76 per cent) professionals in India feel more comfortable expressing their emotions at work post-pandemic

Gen Z (73 per cent) and millennials (79 per cent) are leading the way in expressing themselves and feeling more comfortable than ever to open up at work.

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Some 87 per cent of 2,188 Indian professionals who took part in a study believed sharing emotions at work boosted their productivity and morale, said LinkedIn, an online professional network.

The study showed that more than 3 in 4 (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.

According to the report, showing more emotions at work could be the secret to better staff morale in this hybrid world of work, with almost 9 in 10 (87 per cent) agreeing that doing so makes them more productive and boosts feelings of belonging.

Emotions are now ‘professional’, but 7 in 10 say there is still stigma associated with it

Professionals in India are not holding back with their emotions and are becoming more vulnerable, with nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) admitting to having cried in front of their boss – a third (32 per cent) having done so on more than one occasion.

But as India warms up to expressing at work, 7 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 about 4 in 5 (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 lead the way for opening up at work

Gen Z (73 per cent) and millennials (79 per cent) 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.

Gen Z (41 per cent) and millennials (47 per cent) have felt the benefits of flexible working too, as they agree it has encouraged them to open up more often in front of their colleagues. In fact, Gen Z (62 per cent) and millennials (69 per cent) are also seeing a stronger response from their online community, with around two-thirds saying they received more support when they opened up on LinkedIn.

3 in 5 professionals in India want more humour at work

Over three-quarters (76 per cent) 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, 9 in 10 (90 per cent) professionals in India agree that humour is the most underused and undervalued emotion at work. In fact, more than 3 in 5 (61 per cent) 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, with over 2 in 5 (43 per cent) doing so at least once a day, followed by professionals in the western (38 per cent), eastern (37 per cent), northern (36 per cent) and northeastern (33 per cent) parts of the country.

Around the world, Indian and Italian workers come out on top as the funniest workers globally, with over a third (38 per cent) respectively cracking a joke at least once a day. Australian workers (29 per cent) emerged as the least funny, even when compared to Germans (36 per cent), Brits (34 per cent), Dutch (33 per cent) and the French (32 per cent).

Keeping up with the shifts in the type of conversations that are now happening in the world of work, LinkedIn is launching a funny reaction to allow members to express humour and fun on the platform. This adds to the existing gamut of reactions that LinkedIn introduced in 2019 to help members visually express their sentiments on posts and articles. The funny reaction has been rolled out globally today.

Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn, said, “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. This has become more apparent on LinkedIn, where people are not just talking shop but also expressing how they take care of themselves by setting new boundaries and balancing life with work. With humour at the heart of self-expression, our new funny reaction will allow members to express joy in response to a post or comment. This has been one of the most requested features from our members, and we’re excited to see how our laughing emoji will help them show their humorous sides at work, and on LinkedIn.”