Rachel Reeves | Parliament's inaction during Chancellor's tears should be a lesson for all employers

During Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves was visibly upset - at one point, crying in the House of Commons chamber. In a place where political combat is the norm, emotion is often seen as weakness. But even so, what happened (or rather, what didn’t happen) should concern anyone who cares about workplace wellbeing.

Because, while the Chancellor had tears streaming down her cheeks - something even people watching on TV couldn't miss - the Prime Minister just inches away seemed either unaware or worse, indifferent.

According to the BBC, the PM "expressed puzzlement" after being told of Reeves' distress when PMQs finished. Similarly, another cabiner minister admitted they too hadn't noticed her tears.

A spokesperson later said Reeves was reacting to a “personal matter”, but that only raises more questions: if someone isn’t okay, why were they in the workplace at all? And if they were there, why was it apparently acceptable for the big boss to do nothing (or apparently not even notice) while they were visibly in distress?