Efficiency and caring at work – an awareness-raising campaign

Theme 8: Emotions - forces for transformation

As you may have read in the Bulletin, part 8 of the Work Well Feel Well series looks at managing a full range of emotions in the workplace.

Transforming workplace emotions: from frustration to growth

Managing frustration, annoyance, or aggression at work begins with understanding the role of emotions, which are natural and vital to our well-being. The workplace, however, demands emotional regulation to maintain professionalism and efficiency. While outbursts may be more accepted in personal life, the work context requires a balance of assertiveness, motivation, and discretion to handle challenges effectively.

Unaddressed emotions can harm workplace dynamics, leading to strained relationships and a toxic environment. Containment is key: acknowledging emotions, delaying their expression, and releasing them later in a healthy way prevents negativity and fosters better cooperation and team spirit.

When managed well, emotions can drive positive change. Anger can be transformed into determination, and frustration can motivate growth and innovation. By channeling emotions constructively, we can adapt, improve, and enhance our resilience and productivity at work.

Gain more awareness on the topic and assess how you manage emotions in the workplace through this illustrative exercise.

Here are a few more resources that you may find helpful:

• Managing self: one of the behavioural competencies of the CERN Competency Model is “managing self”, which includes understanding our own emotions and how they impact behaviour in effective and ineffective ways. This theme is also explored in the recent Ombud text “Practice responding instead of reacting”.    

• Feelings and needs inventory: The Center for Nonviolent Communication offers a free downloadable inventory to help us to understand our emotions.

• Emotional intelligence: watch the recording of the micro-talk entitled “Cultivating Emotional Intelligence (EI) in the Era of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” to hear about the importance of emotional intelligence for human connection, creativity and innovation.

• Support from CERN Medical Service: consult the Medical Service’s dedicated mental health support webpage for information, resources and guidance.

• Training courses: the CERN training catalogue includes a course on how to develop emotional agility to help to build trust in emotionally charged situations.

The campaign, Efficiency and caring at work, designed by psychologist and specialist in burnout prevention, Catherine Vasey, invites you to explore the topic from different angles, deepen your knowledge, share your experiences and complete exercises made available on this website. We encourage you to take an active part in the campaign and the quest for a better quality of life at work.

Keen to learn more? Read about the Work Well Feel Well project, have a look at the useful resources and watch the micro-talk recording on burnout.