The prevailing understanding of workplace emotional support strategies is rooted in Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Theory, which posits that we regulate others’ emotions in the same way as we regulate our own. Drawing on this theory, the current literature has identified two ways in which emotional support is delivered at work: cognitive change and attention deployment. However, this framework assumes that what works at the intrapersonal level (i.e., self-emotion regulation) will be equally effective in an interpersonal context (i.e., support provision), overlooking the unique aspects of social interactions that can contribute to one’s well-being. To address this gap, we conceptualized a new strategy: workplace emotion validation—the affirmation of a support seeker’s emotions from a negative event at work. Grounded in Shared Reality Theory, we proposed that emotion validation alleviates distress by satisfying belongingness and epistemic needs during social interactions. Using 8 samples (total N = 1751), which included multi-wave and multi-source data, we developed a scale to measure emotion validation that considered two support sources—colleagues and supervisors. The scale possesses good construct validity, incremental validity, reliability and psychometric properties. Relationships with various other organizational constructs were also demonstrated. This research challenges the current conceptualization of workplace emotional support strategies and, at a broader level, suggests that emotional support should be examined through specific strategies. Practically, the new scale offers actionable guidelines to support colleagues and subordinates.
