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Published on September 10, 2007

Ladies tend to blubber more easily than men, and we are often forgiven, or at least get sympathy, whenever we show our feminine side in the workplace, where men and women should be treated equally and fairly.

A friend recently told me of a story in which a female movie star cheated on an advertising fee she owed a group of painters. When one of the painters decided to call her on his colleagues' behalf asking for justice, the female celebrity blubbered over the phone without giving any explanation. That male painter, who obviously had a soft heart, decided to stop the conservation for fear of hurting the lady's feeling. Bingo! That trick still works.

Nonetheless, quite a number of office ladies want to show off their no-nonsense side to demonstrate they can be as tough as a man. They wear clean-cut denim jackets to work, while they may don fluffy chiffon dresses during the weekends.

Yet quite a number of girls are still weeping in the office.

Of course, weeping is good to reduce our stress and relieve our emotional burdens. Some weep successfully to solve problems or get what they want, but should we do that in the workplace?

Here are some comments from some of our blog readers. Mr Narcissus: "If a colleague of mine burst into tears due to a disagreement or a discussion I think I would feel uncomfortable. I did make a colleague cry once after sending her a scary prank e-mail. That also reminded me of a scene from 'The Office'."

Mr Ian: "There is an old saying, 'Tears never solve anything'. Whilst this is not always the case, it is true in the majority of situations, but there is a big difference between crying from genuine emotion and crying to obtain an objective."

I know that crying can relieve tension. Some people can't really contain their tears and they certainly have my sympathy. I just don't like people who tend to cry their way out of a problem. By the way, even if you feel it is difficult not to weep, you better not let your adversary see your tears.

Here's a good quote from Tony Soprano: "Its dangerous to show your vulnerability - your enemy will take advantage of your weakness." Bang! Bang!

jeerawat@nationgroup.com