Shed a tear, Tim Hunt: crying at work is a good idea | Hannah Ewens

The persisting prejudice against crying on the job doesn't fit in today's office environment

I will never forget the first time I needed to cry at work. But crying is looked down upon in the workplace as oversensitive, immature and unprofessional - the most recent example of male disdain came this week, when Nobel laureate Tim Hunt suggested that female scientists can't take criticism without crying. So I held in my distress, and it built until, unable to conceal it anymore, I ran to the bathroom, threw up my breakfast and cried until I could return to my desk.

As someone dealing with an anxiety disorder, feeling that I couldn't show emotion at the office just exacerbated my emotional and physical reaction to the situation. As an advocate for a good, cathartic sob, I say that the persisting prejudice against crying doesn't fit in today's work environment.