Not all Help is Equal, Recognition Can Buffer the "Bad Days," and The Hidden Toll of Rude Emails.

Cognicent | 29, August, 2025 | Newsletter

Welcome to the August edition of our Insight Articles!

This edition explores the subtle dynamics that shape our everyday work experiences, and the often-overlooked emotional undercurrents behind them. From how a colleague’s tone can influence whether their help is welcomed or resented, to the power of recognition in softening the blow of unfair tasks, to the surprising impact of a rude email on your sleep. These studies reveal just how much our wellbeing hinges on the way we relate to each other at work.

Most of us have heard the phrase, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Often quoted when someone’s delivery has missed the mark, this idea also applies to the way we offer help at work.

Researchers from Washington State University’s Carson College of Business recently investigated whether the emotions displayed while helping a colleague influence how that help is received. In other words: does how we help matter just as much as what we do?

The researchers found that:

1. Emotional cues significantly affect perceptions of trust and the likelihood of future help being reciprocated.

2. When help appears self-serving or given out of obligation, it’s viewed less positively by the recipient.

3. Helpers who express emotions like gratitude and sympathy are seen more favourably, enhancing relationship quality.

4. Conversely, emotions such as pride or contempt can cause recipients to question the helper’s motives, weakening relationships and reducing the willingness to reciprocate.

Importantly, recipients of help are not passive. They actively interpret emotional signals to make judgements about the helper’s intentions. That is, people use emotional expressions to assess whether help is sincere, strategic, or begrudging.

Why this matters:

For team members and especially for leaders, these findings have important implications. Emotional expressions help set the tone for workplace culture. Encouraging genuine gratitude, sympathy, and perspective-taking can foster more supportive and cohesive teams, and strengthen working relationships over time.

Consider:

When you offer help, do you seem burdened or resentful, or open and willing?

How do you show sympathy for a colleague’s challenges or gratitude for their efforts?

What small shifts could make your support feel more authentic?

Article Reference:

Lee, S. H., & Johnson, M. D. (2025). Emotional Signaling: How Helpers’ Emotional Expressions Affect Attributions of Motives, Relationship Quality, and Reciprocation. Academy of Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2023.0313 

Everyone appreciates being recognised for their contributions and understanding the value they bring to their team. But what happens when we’re assigned tasks that feel unnecessary or unfair?

Researchers from the University of East Anglia, the University of Cyprus, and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki explored whether recognition from colleagues could buffer the emotional impact of “illegitimate tasks.” That is, tasks perceived as unnecessary (pointless or of low importance) or unreasonable (beyond what should be expected of someone in their role).

Researchers Found:

Emotional Toll: Illegitimate tasks can lead to feelings of embitterment, a sense of injustice that doesn’t just stay at work, it can spill over into personal time, making it harder to unwind and recover.

Barrier to Detachment: These tasks hinder employees’ ability to detach from work during off-job hours, inhibiting recovery from work-related stress.

Power of Appreciation: Daily recognition from colleagues or supervisors, especially when it highlights both achievements and personal qualities, can mitigate the negative effects of illegitimate tasks. On days when employees felt more appreciated, the link between these tasks and feelings of embitterment was weaker.

Types of Illegitimate Tasks: The study differentiates between unnecessary tasks (those perceived as pointless) and unreasonable tasks (those perceived as beyond one’s role). Both types were associated with increased embitterment and rumination.

Consider:

How do we support colleagues who are assigned tasks that seem illegitimate?

Next time you notice someone grappling with such tasks, take a moment to acknowledge their effort and express appreciation. A simple gesture can make a significant difference in their day.

Article Reference:

Evie Michailidis, Despoina Xanthopoulou, George Michaelides. Daily workplace embitterment and work-related rumination during off-job time: illegitimate tasks as antecedents and the buffering role of appreciation. Work & Stress, 2025; 1 DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2025.2484761

In today’s workplaces, email remains one of the most common forms of communication. Chances are, most of us have received a message that felt a bit off or downright rude.

While many of us understand that rudeness isn’t well received, researchers have gone further to explore the real impact of rude emails on their recipients. The results might be more serious than you’d expect.

The Key Findings:

Researchers found that there are two types of email rudeness (or “incivility”) and they both have negative effects on the recipient. 

Active Incivility: Overtly disrespectful behaviours, such as using all caps or making rude comments. Active incivility is perceived as more emotionally charged, prompting immediate distress and reactions.  

Passive Incivility: Subtle behaviours, like ignoring emails or failing to respond to requests, lead to ambiguity. The ambiguity of passive incivility leads recipients to ruminate and question the sender’s intentions. 

The study found that passive incivility is linked to insomnia, which can result in heightened negative emotions the following day. Active incivility did not show a direct link to sleep disturbances, but can still harm workplace relationships. The researchers indicated that the effect of passive rudeness on sleep was due to the ambiguity, or uncertainty, of the sender’s intent and resulting rumination and that both forms of rudeness also have negative effects on ‘bystanders’ (i.e., those CC’d or BCC’d in). 

Consider:

Are we setting clear expectations around communication tone for ourselves and our teams?

Do we have strategies in place to help us respond constructively – especially when tempted to reply sharply?

How do we support ourselves and others when faced with rude or ambiguous messages?

Article Reference:

Yuan, Z., Park, Y., & Sliter, M. T. (2020). Put you down versus tune you out: Further understanding active and passive e-mail incivility. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 25(5), 330–344. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000215 

We hope that you have a safe, well and productive rest of your week.

– The Cognicent Team