Once upon a time, it was considered poor form to reveal much, if anything, about yourself at work. Being friends with your colleagues was unusual, ‘personal’ chat by the water cooler was deemed inappropriate, and mentioning that you were tired or stressed was seen as admitting defeat. Essentially, being a robot free of all human foibles was the ideal.

Thankfully, things have shifted. A work/life balance is a valid priority, training sessions focus on resilience rather than just the basics of Excel, and we bring more of ourselves to our working lives, whether in the form of showing our homes on video meetings or catching up about the weekend.

Some beliefs from the before times have lingered, however, and one of those is that there’s still something ‘wrong’ or ‘unprofessional’ about being emotional at work. Too many of us think that showing emotions is ‘weak’ or signifies that we’re less capable. We’re often incredibly uncomfortable if anger, hurt or envy pop up in the workplace. That’s something Natalie Boudou, an emotional intelligence expert, executive coach and the author of HumanForce: The Power Of Emotions In A Changing Workplace, wants to change.

Why we need to embrace being emotional at work