Its imperative that you know how to separate emotions from work.  If you've heard me in some motivational or pep talk, I've probably have said at some point that: "Work is black and white.  Emotions have no place in it."

Guess what, its true.

There are two ways when emotions could come in the way:

  1. Personal problems won't get left behind.

There are countless times that some personal trouble would get in the way of my work.  I'm a woman, I sometimes can't help but cry.  However, it doesn't stop me from working efficiently; except that the others might not.

Sure, it does not make your boss worry that you're absent for the day for no reason at all except probably to finish your bout in less than an hour; except that, you can't just disappear from work because you want to cry and let it all out.  Its tough.  I've been there, and I honestly don't have a solution for this.

Some other times, I just opt not to come to work if I couldn't get my emotions straight and come to work with a poker face.  If that happens, I'll just stay at home and try to resolve it, get better for tomorrow.

  1. Emotions inside the office.

Most companies have set their rules in stone.  No relationships within co-workers.. but of course, we know that these kinds of setups still do exist (in secrecy).  This is troublesome because the conflicts/high times wouldn't really be easy to conceal.  And having these kinds of affairs in the office could still lead to serious HR sanctions or maybe just a little bit of work distraction resulting to decreased efficiency.

And some emotions are brought about by anger, jealousy and immaturity.  Work is still an avenue for earning while learning. What better way of learning than through getting things straight and being the best of the best?

Sometimes, its tough to be in a position where you think you are helping others but they just won't accept this for a fact.  Any amount of misunderstanding or miscommunication would always lead to conflict and confusion.

To all those who are very emotional people, I strongly advise you to leave your "kid" personality home.  Its degrading to come into the workplace unprepared for the "real" scenario and always expecting to be carefully handled and all pieces of information sugar coated before served to you.  The real world doesn't prepare you for that.  You should've learned that from your family and from college.

So, leave the kids at home please.  Black and white.  Nothing more.  Now let's get back to work.