Dear CC: I'm a relatively new boss. Last week an employee came into my office to discuss a problem, and halfway through, she started to cry. I really had no idea what to do. Ignore? Console? Offer a tissue?
Nowhere in the workplace is the dichotomy between male and female greater than with the issue of crying. Men certainly feel like crying at work sometimes, but women go ahead and do it. Kindly but firmly tell the sob sister to please come back when she's more composed. Do keep a box of tissues in your office anyway, and spring for the good stuff, too-scratchy, pulpy store brands will just compound the weeper's woes.
Here are some true stories of crying at work, read them then decide:
Welling up in the office - Career suicide or the new way to get ahead?
