Colleagues breaking down into tears in meetings

[Givenup2026]

I have never experienced this before. Yes out workplace is chaotic, but I didn’t think it was that chaotic or toxic.

It definitely has left me speechless and I don’t know what am I supposed to do beyond offering my support.

I didn’t want to jump ship, but I think I might to actively start looking.

has this happened to anyone before? And what ended up happening?

Three?! Definitely start looking for something else 😂

Tell him to man up and bloody get on with it. What is the matter with people being so pathetic?

It’s a startup but we’re not saving lives nor brokering world peace.

Teachers cry. A lot. Not necessarily in meetings but most weeks someone was a mess if not more than one.

Yup been there myself today. At least half the small team of 8 have had major meltdowns since October. Senior staff have left very quickly. It's as toxic as fuck and I think my notice is going in next week.

The toxic environment comes from the boss.

It is not the same thing as hard work or even stress,

I haven't cried, I don't think unless I have blocked that memory, but every morning I used to have the shits because I dreaded going into work because of one manager. over the years I moved departments, the manager died then I left the company and I've never needed to rush to the toilet since.

Don't be a dickhead all your life.

We had a crying room when l was teaching.

There was always someone in it. It was my stock room so l was always the consoler. And also the cryer at times.

No one cared. It was just part of the job,

I suspect I am on the spectrum but I'm not diagnosed. I have only cried in a meeting once, when I was minuting it, because the incessant typing sounds coming from someone else at the table were becoming unbearable to me and were drowning out my inner monologue I need to listen to while I write notes. It was really embarrassing as a grown ass woman, although I'm not sure if anyone noticed. It was sheer overwhelm and frustration. It's actually a lovely place to work.

I worked for a pharmacy company about 10 years ago, so we always had visiting doctors and professors coming to do speeches and give info.

One Dr came in and told the saddest story about how his very young son was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. He went through the child's years, describing how he eventually had his 21st in hospital, with all his friends visiting his bedside and having a party, bringing balloons and cake, and he was smiling so happily as he described the look on his son's face to see all his mates turn up.

And he died a few days later. I hadn't even realised I was crying until I inadvertently let out a massive sob in the auditorium. I looked around and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

I did separately cry at work when I was going through a custody battle 26 years ago, and plenty have cried at being bullied by their line managers.

Our new manager had three staff in tears and a resignation from a fourth with the first couple of months. I’m out at the end of the year.

I stopped into my colleague’s classroom once and she was in tears - there was a class about to come in after lunch so I ushered them down the hall to the head of dept’s classroom (thinking she could watch them for a few minutes to buy my colleague some time to sort herself out). They came back saying they’d been told to go away “because Miss is crying”. Turned out they’d had some kind of bust up and were both inconsolable (I ended up adopting the wandering kids and bundling them in with my lot until someone - anyone! - was able to pull it together enough to take them back off me).

I’d say someone cries in our dept at least once a week. It’s like we take it in turns to have a breakdown; we take the slack for each other to help; we then have our turn for a breakdown; and so the cycle continues. It is an incredibly toxic place to work.

I find it's normally after 'little chats' or meetings after standard hours.

I'm not a crier, so I'm never on the receiving end, but it's pathetic that some people only feel their chat/meeting/ambush is successful if at least two people leave in tears. All I can do is listen if they want to talk, drop a snack and some tissues off on desks or give somebody trusted the heads up they need to hear a friendly voice if not.

Not necessarily. You could just be having a bad day or something triggered an old wound in you.

In this situation, it sounds like it's very badly managed though.

Could be you one day. Have some sympathy.

Tell me you don’t work in healthcare without telling me you don’t work in healthcare….

In my last school, crying was an everyday occurrence- at least one member of staff would be in tears at some point. I cried on several occasions.

Current school - less common. Although I tend to stick to my classroom so there may be sobbing staff somewhere

Had that happen once, a colleague went to speak to the person concerned and was helpful.

Said colleague who cried has not to my knowledge done so since and is still at the company several years later.

I don’t think it’s new. It’s certainly something I’ve experienced since I started in my field 20 years ago. People crying because of stress or frustration or because they’re being bullied. It isn’t unheard of, but it definitely happens more frequently where there is a poorly managed level of stress.

That said, I’ve certainly experienced it more in recent years related to non-work things. I think I am of a generation (mid 40s) where colleagues are dealing with ill and dying parents, teenagers, and also their own poor health. I’ve cried in a meeting because I needed to take time out due to cancer. Another colleague cried when her dad was dying.

Happens fairly regularly in one of the schools I work in. Young, old, male, female.

NHS here and one of mt team is usually in tears at least once a week due to sheer stress

Same. My last place was so toxic it sent me on a bit of a downward spiral

My DH told me in astonishment that a colleague of his had burst into tears in a meeting. Rather than address it apparently all the others in the room told him that maybe he should leave the room immediately. Poor guy was still crying walking out . My DH attitude was not sympathetic at all felt the guy made an ass of himself and would probably be let go as soon as possible. This was early 90s and I am hoping that management are a bit more enlightened these days .

I rarely went a week in my last job without crying in the office. Unfortunately my default mode is tears whether I'm upset, frustrated or angry. It's embarrassing but I cant change it. I hated it and no one took me seriously.

I left about 10 years ago and can happily say I have cried just twice at work in that time. Once because I'd really messed up and was scared what would happen and last year through frustration/disappointment. That was really embarrassing.