How Workplace Dysregulation Is Reshaping Organizations
Why trust is collapsing, performance is slipping, and what you can do to restore clarity, calm, and connection
Note: This piece is part of my ongoing exploration of Security, one of the five core elements in the SHIFT model. In our SHIFT courses, we explore each element through two lenses: the micro level (the individual leader’s regulation and presence) and the macro level (organizational practices, structures, and norms that support a sense of safety and stability).
I’ve said it in nearly every Substack post: the workplace is changing. But at this point, I think I’ve run out of new ways to say it.
Because the truth is, it’s not just changing—it’s being dismantled.
The Hidden Crisis Inside Our Workplaces
No one trusts each other: Trust is in free fall. According to a 2025 global survey by HR consultancy DDI, only 32% of leaders express confidence in their senior leadership. Also alarming: trust in immediate managers has dropped from 46% in 2022 to just 29% in 2024—a 17-point decline in just three years.
Leaders themselves are overwhelmed: 71% of leaders report experiencing significant stress since stepping into their roles. More than half are grappling with burnout, and 40% are considering quitting. Only one in three say they have the time they need to meet the demands of their role.
HR has become scary, not safe: Over 80% of U.S. workers report being afraid of their employer’s HR department. 85% say they’ve hesitated to bring a work-related issue to HR—citing concerns like lack of confidentiality, fear of retaliation, and uncertainty about whether HR would actually help.
These aren’t isolated issues. They’re interconnected symptoms of people and organizations operating in a chronic state of fight, flight, or freeze.
When Workplaces Dysregulate: What It Looks Like—and What It Costs
When organizations lose their center, they swing between two extremes:
The Reactive Workplace
Leaders lash out when results fall short
Team members fire off regrettable emails
Blame replaces accountability
Impulsive decisions lead to costly mistakes
The Disengaged Workplace
Critical decisions get delayed or ignored
“Quiet quitting” becomes a silent epidemic
Feedback and accountability are avoided
Motivation flatlines
The cost of these patterns is incredibly high:
Retention suffers: It’s not hard to leave a place you don’t trust.
Productivity drops: Energy is spent managing dysfunction instead of solving problems
Strategic errors increase: Stress gets in the way of clear decisions.
Innovation stalls: Psychological safety disappears—and so does creativity
Three Strategies for a Regulated Workplace
There’s a better way forward—and it starts with making room for regulation at every level.
1. Use GRPI to Check for Alignment
Structure reduces stress. Use the GRPI model to identify misalignment before it turns into dysfunction:
Goals: Are outcomes clear and measurable?
Roles: Do people know who decides what—and where the boundaries are?
Processes: Are workflows and communication norms agreed upon?
Interpersonal: Are there shared expectations for how conflict gets addressed and repaired?
2. Strengthen Leadership Awareness
Help leaders recognize and interrupt reactivity:
Notice physical cues like tension or racing thoughts
Catch red flags like catastrophizing or black-and-white thinking
Use quick resets—2–3 go-to practices that take under a minute
3. Normalize Everyday Regulation
Make emotional regulation part of how the team operates:
Set signals for when a meeting needs a reset
Normalize “time-outs” in heated moments
Create clear escalation paths for unresolved conflict
Encourage naming emotions rather than acting them out
Create space for reset breaks: Mental health days aren’t the answer, microregulation is. Build in small, consistent pauses to help people reset and return.
The SHIFT That Matters Most
The workplace is shifting—whether you like it or not. And for many of us, it’s hard to know where to go next.
That’s where SHIFT comes in. It’s not just a framework—it’s a workplace GPS. It helps leaders and teams navigate complexity with clarity, regulation, and connection.
This isn’t about creating a feel-good workplace—it’s about creating a functional one.
Organizations that prioritize regulation build the conditions for people to think clearly, respond wisely, and collaborate effectively—even under pressure. That’s not soft. That’s strategy.
Want to learn moremore?
Join The Regulated Mind at Work to learn how to put strategies like these into real-world action.
Excellent article. Looking forward to others in your series.