When the CEO held a virtual town hall in 2020 and said there needed to be layoffs, I knew I would be one of the first to go because I served zero purpose at that point.
To successfully repair after a mistake, you need to acknowledge and name the mistake, validate the other person's feelings and viewpoint, and create a plan for the specific actions you will take to prevent this mistake from occurring again.
Around the office, people clutch coffee like a life raft, waiting for their brains to come online and cursing the 8 a.m. meeting. And the cheerful colleague. But at least they got in early enough to find parking and grab coffee before it ran out-this time. Now: which person are you? The early riser, or the one watching them, wondering why you can never feel that awake at this hour no matter how hard you try?
We tend to think of support at work as always helpful. Advice. Guidance. A quick assist when things get tough. But research shows some kinds of support quietly do more harm than good. Certain forms of workplace support don't restore energy or build trust-they drain it. And over time, they can erode engagement and fuel burnout. Five kinds of unhelpful workplace social support: Imposing support shows up as unsolicited guidance. Advice you didn't ask for. Direction you weren't ready to receive.
