If you’ve been in tears while on the clock, new research shows you’re not alone. Whether it’s your job or something outside of work that led to the break room breakdown, it turns out, it’s a common employee experience. According to a new survey, 39% of workers admit to having cried at least once at work.
Resume Now polled 1,018 adults across the country and found that 25% have cried once or twice, while 14% have done it multiple times at their desk, in a meeting, or privately, like in a workplace bathroom.
- Another 21% haven’t broken down in tears at work, but felt close to it.
- Only 39% have never cried, or almost cried, on the job.
- When overwhelmed with job stress, venting is a coping mechanism for a lot of workers. More than half (55%) admit to venting or complaining about their job to a friend, coworker or on social media, at least occasionally.
- A third (34%) say they vent frequently, from a few times a week to every day.
- Only 12% say they never vent about their job.
- The survey shows that job insecurity could be behind some of the tears, as 52% of workers worry about losing their job, even when there’s no obvious reason.
- This includes 24% who say they worry about it constantly or at least once a week and 28% who worry occasionally.
- Just 27% say they feel confident and secure in their job and never worry about losing it.
- While some employees are crying, others are searching for a new job on the clock, or at least getting prepared for when they do.
- This includes updating their resume during work hours (41%), doing job search activities like interview prep or networking (39%), or taking online courses or working on professional development (53%).
- About half (49%) of respondents also admit to using work time for personal tasks, like shopping, appointments or errands.
Source: Independent