“The vibe at work is not good,” said someone close to me the other day.
They, like so many these days, are in the midst of a series of org changes that are feeling messy. Chaotic and reactive instead of well planned and intentional.
Too many companies are hiding behind “change is the new normal” and all the other bumper stickers that let them avoid considering the human side. They skip over the fact that teams are being asked to absorb change that comes not from strategy but from decisions that weren’t well thought through or coordinated.
Leaders are calling for more “resilience” without recognizing that even the most durable spirits have their limits.
I used to work for a company with this ethos. And I’d whisper quietly to my colleagues: “Ask me to run a mile. Then take my sneakers and ask me to do it again. Then take my legs and ask me to do it again.”
Somewhere in there lives the tipping point between resilience and absurdity.
Thing is, there’s no smoking gun. Bad vibes can be the most insidious because they fester quietly. In a bad vibe moment, trust erodes. People still show up, but they aren’t giving their all. They aren’t innovating or collaborating. They’re mostly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
This may seem soft or small. But the costs to productivity and retention can be very high.
So what can we do about it?
My vote is for a Work Better by Design session. A talk or a workshop for your leaders. To equip and empower them to ask their teams to help define the path forward.
Work design is the iterative practice of shaping how the work happens such that driving results improves the experience which in turn drives future results.
I know I know. You’re pausing. Because…lemme guess. Is it one or more of the following:
- What if they ask for things we can’t deliver?
- What if this just turns into a complaint session?
- Doesn’t this mean admitting that we designed poorly?
Fair questions. But we’ve got answers.
On your ability to deliver
Ever watch a frog moving from one lily pad to the next? They can always see the shoreline from where they are. But they just take one leap at a time. And they settle before the next leap.
We help you frame the right questions, focus on the changes that are digestible, and ensure your teams see progress with every small step.
On your fear of a complaint session
Yes, people will want to vent. And they should. So we time box the “what’s troubling” part before moving into “how do we reshape the work to make it smoother and saner.”
That venting is not wasted. It validates people’s experiences, builds trust, and creates a sense of community. It also clears the air so the group can shift into problem solving together.
On the fear of admitting poor design
This is not about saying “we failed.” It is about saying “we are listening.” The framing goes like this: “We have been through a lot of change. We want to understand what is moving smoothly and where we can adjust or course correct.”
It is not about searching for failures. It is about finding gaps, questions, and opportunities.
Even if you are not yet seeing the costs, they are on the horizon.
So, reader, I encourage you. If bad vibes are hovering around you, please reach out today, or better yet, grab some time on my calendar.
It would be my pleasure to talk you through how a Work Better by Design session works. We will do it with clarity, with confidence, and with the assurance that small, intentional shifts in how work is designed can change your vibe. Fast.