Navigating emotional entanglements in workplaces

Burnout is defined to be a result of unmanaged chronic workplace stress (Burn-Out an “Occupational Phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases, 2019).

Burnout is defined to be a result of unmanaged chronic workplace stress (Burn-Out an “Occupational Phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases, 2019). Although burnout can be attributed to burdening workloads, a quieter, insidious contributor often goes overlooked - emotional entanglements.

In high-performance work environments, emotional entanglements—whether personal or professional-can blur the boundaries of self-awareness, often leading to burnout, dissatisfaction, and reduced productivity (Majka, 2024). Maintaining emotional clarity and protecting mental well-being is not only a personal responsibility but also a professional imperative. Performance, competition, envy, and emotional investment are all intricately entangled in such complex environments, making it difficult for those involved to even discern exhaustion on the horizon. Friendships often take a backseat, blurring the lines between professionalism and the ease that comes with co-working.

Recognizing Emotional Leakage at Work

At times, workplace dynamics can quietly evolve into emotionally draining spaces. Emotional leakage is when the emotional reactions of situations not related to work seep into the professional duties and responsibilities, impairing the ability to perform efficiently and effectively (Fineman, 2000). Whether it’s navigating complex relationships, handling emotional dependency, or dealing with guilt-tripping behaviour, emotional labour can become invisible and exhausting. It manifests in subtle ways that may be hard to recognise at first. Overthinking about conversations repeatedly, losing confidence in individual abilities due to a colleague’s comments and emotional reactions, or constantly holding the onus of every colleague’s emotional states are some of the few telltale signs. In addition to this, taking on tasks unconsciously, such as always lending a listening ear despite an increasing workload and personal circumstances and perpetually putting on a facade of emotional stability, can add on to the emotional buildup that leads to emotional leakage.

We often are not able to recognize some patterns that we are falling into. These emotional entanglements may not always stem from something which is like an overt relationship or conflict, but they arise from subtle patterns. These patterns may range from unacknowledged dependencies on coworkers, unresolved tensions, and blurred professional and personal boundaries. Results of these patterns have been observed to include blurred personal and professional boundaries that disrupt emotional clarity, which in turn affects decision-making. These entanglements may frequently look like a high engagement and collaboration in the first instance, but actually, it could become emotional volatility. It could become over-responsibility for the other’s well-being. And therefore, it can impact or make it difficult for us to maintain objectivity during disagreements or when we are dealing with professional commitments and collaborations.

When you recognize patterns that persist, it’s time to step back. It is important to safeguard interests and mental well-being. There is nothing that comes for free. If it costs you your peace, it is not even worth a single minute of your life.

The Myth of ‘Just Being Nice’

Emotional closeness at work can exhibit itself in a multitude of ways. Being close to coworkers may bring satisfaction and a feeling of belongingness with it. However, these feelings stop us from recognising when the relationship and bond goes from being meaningful to being messy. The friendships interfere with professional tasks leading to miscommunication and an added increase to one’s own workload. Initially well defined boundaries fade away as a result of emotional reactions such as being influenced by guilt tripping under the mask of loyalty. In return, these actions go ahead to change the personality of the individual as a whole by either labelling the ‘niceness’ as a weakness, or misinterpreting defined boundaries as a sign of coldness. Workplace dynamics have the power to transform you as a person (Kahn, 1990). The impact of the change spills over into personal domains and may act as precursors to losing sense of self to the extent of individual worth being equated to others opinions and acceptance.

Professionalism is often confused with constant emotional availability. Being supportive does not mean overextending oneself to meet others’ unspoken needs. Recognizing this difference is key to preventing emotional overreach and maintaining one’s energy and motivation. Politeness and empathy do not require the sacrifice of one’s boundaries.

Signals it’s Time to Reclaim Your Space

There is no sole reason for emotional entanglements, there may be different precursors for different individuals. For some it may be driven by a deep seated sense of admiration for the colleague or supervisors, or for others it may be due to an innate need for validation. At times, it may also be driven by instances of sharing personal vulnerabilities with others at the workspace. No matter the reason, emotional entanglement, when left unacknowledged and unchecked, translates to observable outcomes. In terms of the psychological toll, you can observe that you begin to feel responsible for another’s emotional stability. A colleague’s mood dictates yours as well as your schedule and performance. Reducing communication evokes feelings of deep guilt and anxiousness (Baumeister et al., 1994). Justifications and explanations are given to validate clearly toxic or dismissive behaviours in an attempt to maintain peace. Without any proper communication, disapprovals are thinly veiled and pushed deep down. Feelings of being undervalued and a feeling of being invisible grow consistently.

Keeping the psychological and emotional signs aside, there are clear professional signs that are also visible. The amount of work output produced, as well as the quality of work, sees a sharp decline (Maslach et al., 2001). The lowered efficiency and efficacy may be a result of lowered creativity and confidence, which directly and indirectly affects productivity. The emotional overload as well as the inability to perform at the desired level leads to dissatisfaction and significantly lower levels of engagement in work-related tasks. In addition, it also erodes the team spirit as a whole, impacting levels of emotional fatigue and burnout in the workplace as a whole. Resulting blurred lines due to emotional entanglements steadily erode the mental energy and the emotional equilibrium which is required at a workplace.

Navigating Emotional Entanglements

Emotional clarity is not just a necessity in personal care but is a vital element in maintaining professional hygiene. Prioritizing mental health and emotional clarity goes a long way in building a productive and healthy work culture (Krekel et al., 2019).

This starts with the redrawing of boundaries. Being able to say ‘No’ to colleagues starts with the realisation that managing others’ emotions is not an individual task. Conveying the boundary to colleagues can be done while being warm to them while maintaining a non-reactive stance, without over-apologising or oversharing. You can still be there for others to support them without jumping in to rescue them. Self-preservation is strategic, not selfish. Create your own schedule which is followed irrespective of others’ emotional states. Unchecked emotional labour can eat away at your work output, creativity and confidence - focus on your milestones, progress and responsibilities. Proactively taking steps such as taking a moment to think and allowing perspectives to settle can help in avoiding responding too quickly to emotionally charged situations. Using internal reminders to prevent over-involvement can look different for everyone. One way to do so would be to practise mental shorthands to remind oneself that inner strength, clarity, and boundaries can be powerful. It creates a reflexive safeguard against slipping into old emotional patterns.

Essentially, it is recommended to have a blend of emotional awareness and strategic distance, which essentially includes being aware of your own emotions while maintaining an emotional distance from colleagues. It’s important to name the dynamic internally and acknowledge it to identify the unfolding patterns as not just a relationship but as a patterned emotional loop. In order to do so successfully, steps like setting micro-boundaries to limit emotionally charged conversations, delaying response time to manipulative messages, and simply refusing to entertain personal issues reported by colleagues during workplace hours. Having a sense of anchored clarity to remind you of your original role and purpose in the professional setting and consciously choosing emotions with clarity goes a long way in avoiding getting entangled in emotional enmeshment.

The real change comes when you stop expecting validation from emotionally volatile environments, which only leads to depletion. Emotional independence, i.e., staying grounded and centred without any validation and external affirmation, is a long-term skill that requires a lot of training. Self-validation, quiet confidence, and anchoring practices like journaling, mindfulness, or seeking neutral counsel can reinforce one’s clarity. Sanity at work isn’t achieved through detachment alone; it’s about knowing when to engage and when to pause. By protecting self-interests and emotional energy, professionals not only reclaim their agency but also create sustainable spaces for personal and collective growth.

Emotional entanglements are deeply human, requiring awareness, discipline and courage to overcome. Emotional clarity is not a detour from success-it is the foundation of it.

Authors: Muskan Shah, FLAME Alumna; Prof. Neha Yadav, Faculty of Marketing, FLAME University & Prof. Moitrayee Das, Faculty of Psychology, FLAME University.