Happy Thursday, everyone.
I’m Frank Richardson, an organisational psychologist who tries to make sense of the workplace with curiosity and care. Over the past few weeks I’ve written about layoffs, belonging, power, humour, and the tensions that shape how people show up at work. Here are some of the pieces readers have spent the most time with 👇
When Condé Nast employees asked HR for clarity during layoffs and several were fired hours later, it became a case study in what happens when leaders avoid the hard conversations. Threat responses spike, people close ranks, and uncertainty fills every gap left by leadership. HR behaviour becomes the cultural signal everyone watches. A painful reminder that silence is never neutral.
Zohran Mamdani ran a grassroots campaign that felt more like a group chat than a political machine. People rallied because he felt like one of them. His rise shows what teams everywhere are hungry for: leaders who share influence, listen sideways, and build belonging instead of authority. A workplace parable disguised as a political victory.
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Humour can build trust, creativity and connection, but only when psychological safety is already there. In many workplaces it becomes a KPI instead of a human gesture, which is why so many attempts land flat. Laughter is relational, not strategic.
Every organisation has its “untouchable,” the person seen as too valuable to challenge. Research shows toxic culture drives turnover more powerfully than pay, yet high status offenders linger for years. When leadership shields the powerful, the message is louder than any values statement.
Almost everyone has a colleague who sparks an eye twitch, but few of us get to say it out loud. Behavioural science explains why those tensions feel so sharp. Rejection registers like physical pain. Power shapes candour. Conflicts drain more energy than we admit. Professionalism becomes the buffer that keeps teams functioning when personalities clash.
How's the depth of today's edition?
If something here resonates, I’d love to hear it. Your reflections always add more depth than the research alone.
Until next week,
Frank
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