Image: A recent BBC Workplace article heavily references research by McBee Institute doctoral student, Chad Mandala, and Dr. Stephanie Ortiz (University of Massachusetts, Lowell). The article, "The People Penalised for Expressing Feelings at Work," by Zulekha Nathoo dives into the ways that workplace norms around expressions of emotions vary depending on the gender identities, race, and ethnicity of the expresser. She writes, "[N]ot all displays of emotion are treated equally." Nathoo, writing from a UK perspective notes, "Even when workers adhere to ‘standard’ feeling rules, evidence suggests BIPOC workers – particularly, black employees – must also manage the emotions they produce in others or risk negative consequences." The research of Mandala and Ortiz found different unspoken set of standards and hazards pervasiveness in the United States as well. Mandala cites from their research and adds, "Respondents talked about having learnt the rules by seeing other people experience the brunt of these rules or feeling it themselves." The additional burden on some employees to not just perform well but to anticipate and avoid negative perceptions of each interpersonal interaction is "daunting." Read full BBC article: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211029-the-people-penalised-for-expressing-feelings-at-work Read original research by Ortiz and Mandala: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X21000096 Type of News/Audience: General News
