to feel so embarrassed I cried in front of my manager

37 replies

user098098 · 15/03/2026 13:33

someone please tell me its happened to them too to make me feel better 😂

Yesterday in work I cried during my return to work meeting. I have been off sick for 4 weeks. I'm still not feeling great and my last long term illness was when I had cancer 5 years ago (not too serious thankfully). My return last time was hard and some of my colleagues were not very nice when I returned and it's really affecting my return this time because I keep worrying that the same will happen again.
I ended up getting upset thinking about the past, I feel so useless at the moment

OP posts:

FasciolaHepatica · 15/03/2026 14:14

More of my team have cried on me than haven't. And I have cried on them. We are all human.

TheSlantedOwl · 15/03/2026 14:12

You’re not a robot and have been through a hell of a lot. Everyone cries at work at some point! I remember absolutely sobbing at my manager. You’re human, it’s totally ok 🩷 Hope you feel better soon.

Iwilladmit · 15/03/2026 14:11

I manage a large team including other managers. Crying is an expression of emotion - can be sadness, anger, happiness or a whole host of other things.

showing emotion is not a sign of weakness - it’s just honest and authentic communication. I would reframe it as doing your bit to further equality in the workplace because the sooner it is normalised as just another expression of emotion , the sooner the shame disappears for everyone else.

how did your manager react?

Appletree56 · 15/03/2026 14:10

I've done it on a teams call to a manger, think blotchy, snotty face, magnified for him to see. Why I didn't turn my camera off I don't know

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 15/03/2026 14:07

I wouldn’t give it a second thought!

TheIceBear · 15/03/2026 14:06

I said YABU because you are being unreasonable for being embarrassed for crying . You have nothing to be embarrassed about you are a human being not a robot . I’ve cried to managers at least once in every job I’ve had .

ChaToilLeam · 15/03/2026 14:03

You are definitely not being unreasonable, you’re only human and dealing with an upsetting situation. If it helps, my boss cried the other day in a meeting. He had just been talking to a couple of employees who were going to have to take time off due to very serious illness in their families and he was so sad for them. I certainly didn’t think any less of him for it.

BatshitIsTheOnlyExplanation · 15/03/2026 14:02

I'm a manager and honestly loads of people cry in 1 on 1 meetings. It's not a weakness - it shows the seriousness of the thing you're talking about.

Gardenquestion22 · 15/03/2026 14:00

I’m a manager and always have a box of tissues to hand to hand over at appropriate moments. Make sure you get support.

PonyPatter44 · 15/03/2026 13:58

I've cried in front of my manager. Its not a moral failing! Your colleagues sound like arseholes though - you were being treated for cancer and they were unkind when you came back? Bunch of fuckfaces.

SpanThatWorld · 15/03/2026 13:41

My manager used to reach for the tissue box as I walked into the room... I went through some rough times and she was always there to listen.

mygrandchildrenrock · 15/03/2026 13:38

A decent manager should pass the tissue box, maybe ask if you wanted to take a minute, possible offer a hug- depending on you and your manager’s relationship, and shouldn’t make you feel in anyway embarrassed about your tears.
I have had several people crying in my office over the years and my youngest daughter has cried in her boss’s office. I have never thought less of anyone who shows they are human.

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