What’s the worst that could happen if we welcomed emotions into the workforce? What’s the best that could happen?

I’ve been thinking a lot about emotions recently. After posting “There’s no crying on the trading floor” I was struck by how many people still believe that emotions don’t belong in the world of work. In some ways I can relate to that. I wrote it in that post and I’ll reiterate it here - I’m not saying work is the first place you should go when you need a good cry. However, emotions are natural. Emotions are human. And emotions are information. I can’t help but think - what are we so afraid of when it comes to emotions? 

In my experience in finance, certain emotions like anger, frustration, motivation, and excitement were allowed. Others like humiliation, fear, hurt, sadness, and anxiety (to name a few) were not allowed. This is a mistake as far as I’m concerned. First, to reject certain emotions is to reject certain information. We live in a world that values information, but we are so biased towards information that is backed by data and rational thinking that we have chosen to ignore the evolutionary signals that have kept us alive and connected as humans. Second, to reject certain emotions is to reject humanity. I can’t think of a person who operates better when they’re treated like a living, breathing robot. 

So my proposition is this: a company that welcomes employees to touch base with their emotions would have a superpower. Not only might they have access to more information, which could benefit the bottom line, but their employees wouldn’t be made to feel like robots, which has the potential to impact employee engagement, well-being, satisfaction, retention and productivity.

How are emotions perceived in your workplace? How would you like them to be?