I Cried in Front of My Boss -- How Do I Recover?

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder

"A few years ago, I worked for two successful but difficult men," says Karen Singleton (name changed by request). "I had a job description with a clear set of objectives, yet we had completely opposite ideas as to how those objectives would be met. One day I was called into a meeting, and unexpectedly one partner took it upon himself to read me the riot act. I sat there and sobbed. On paper, I met all my work-related goals. I think he was just as surprised as I was that I was crying, but he didn't stop reprimanding me and I didn't stop crying."

When somebody cries in the workplace, both the crier and the witnesses often get uncomfortable. While it might be tempting to simply try ignoring the situation, the problem is that everyone still knows it happened.