I visited a child protection duty and intake team yesterday and they said that one of the reasons that they had such a  low turnover was due to staff being very close to each other and feeling able to express themselves freely in front of their colleagues when they had seen a child in a distressing situation. The lady I spoke to said this included male employees crying in front of their managers. Have other people ever cried at work and do people feel that they are able to do this without it being viewed negatively?

We are a close knit team and I have cried a few times at work if soemthing has bothered/upset me. My colleagues have been very supportive and I don't feel like they judged me but I really hate crying it work. I wish I was less emotional and could count to ten and take a deep breath but unfortunately I'm not made up like that!

I fight back the tears every day on the train to work!

Yes it is a sign of weakness at work. Not always a bad thing!

I cried more than once during my first placement.  Mostly just infront of my practice teacher, but on one occasion a couple of other staff members were around.

During the same placement an OT started crying in the office one day because of the sheer amount of work she had to get through basically, and the other staff were very supportive, offering to listen if she wanted to talk/making her a cup of tea etc.

Obviously crying every day, at everything, isn't very professional, and probably suggests you need help/support beyond the workplace.  But when it is occasional/caused by extreme situations etc, I don't think there is anything wrong with it as long as it is confined to the office and not infront of service users.  Social work is a very stressful job and if less of us tried to bottle everything up rather than letting it out sometimes, it will probably help everyone.

Sorry i dont think it is a sign of weakness I think it is a sign we are human beings and shows that we have feelings like everyone else. I do feel that some managers would see this as a sign of weakness but they certainly dont consider reducing the stress that is for sure.

I recall seeing a manager crying at work and I must admit it didnt elave me feeling very confident in her ability to cope. That leads to the question who is allowed to cry at work?

Yes I have cried at work and on the way to work. I had depression and at that point was undiagnosed. Ive never seen anyone cry because of distressing cases. A manager did cry in front of me once and I was appalled ! She had toothache and I thought she was a right nutter !! Terribly unsympathetic !

I have cried at work on a few occasions but I always do it in the toilets rather than in front of people. I think if you feel the need to cry you should as otherwise you are just storing things up but perhaps it is best to try and do it away from your colleagues or if not then definitely your managers.