Happy Wednesday, everyone. I'm Frank Richardson, an organisational psychologist observing the workplace with curiosity and care. Each week, I share insights to help HR leaders better understand the people behind the processes and build cultures where both individuals and organisations can thrive.
This week in workplace whiplash š
The boundaries around what employers are expected to care about seem to be expanding by the week:
š¢ Nearly Half of Workers Have Cried at Work
A new survey found that 49% of US workers have cried (or nearly cried) at work in the past six months, with most hiding it from colleagues. Experts argue that tears aren't the problem themselves, they're often a signal of deeper issues like burnout, workload pressure, or emotional strain that organisations need to address.
šHR Brewš» Microsoft Employees Feel Better About Work, Worse About Managers
Microsoft's latest employee survey found engagement and wellbeing scores improving, with employees reporting they feel more energised and empowered at work. At the same time, perceptions of manager support, coaching, feedback, and motivation declined, highlighting the increasingly difficult role managers play between organisational demands and employee expectations.
šHR Grapevinešµ Gig Workers Gain Landmark Global Protections
The International Labour Organization has adopted a new treaty establishing labour protections for digital platform workers worldwide. The convention covers issues including worker classification, safety, collective bargaining rights, discrimination, and fair working conditions, marking a significant step in extending traditional employment protections into the gig economy.
šHCA Mag
And to this week's biggest headline: Elon Musk becoming the world's first trillionaireā¦
š¤ This edition is brought to you by American Arbitration AssociationĀ®
More than 5,000 labor cases were filed with the American Arbitration AssociationĀ® in 2025, and, for cases closed in 2025, 41% of cases settled and the median time to award was under 300 days. Explore the latest AAAĀ® Labor Infographic for insights into filing trends, case outcomes, resolution timelines, and how labor disputes across industries are being resolved.
By now, Iām sure youāve seen that Elon Musk has become the world's first trillionaire following the SpaceX IPO.
A trillionaire.
Of course, most of the commentary has focused on whether that's good, bad, inspiring, dystopian, or proof that capitalism has finally disappeared up its own backside. What fascinated me was something else.
Even in a company where employees have received life-changing rewards, a trillion-dollar fortune still sits in a league of its own. It's such an extreme outcome that it raises an interesting question: at what point does success stop functioning as motivation for everyone else?
For most of my career, I've worked in organisations that relied heavily on aspiration. People are constantly looking ahead to the next step. The graduate looks at the manager. The manager looks at the director. The director looks at the executive.
The system works because progress feels imaginable. You might never become the CEO, but you can picture leading a team. You might never found a company, but you can picture building expertise, taking on more responsibility, or progressing into a bigger role.
A trillionaire sits in a different category entirely.
It's difficult to know what lesson you're supposed to take from it. At some point, success becomes so extreme that it stops helping people imagine their own future. It may still attract attention. It may still inspire admiration. But admiration and motivation are not necessarily the same thing.
š§ The behavioural science lens
Motivation has never been purely about money. A lot of it comes down to fairness, comparison, and whether success feels like something a normal human being could plausibly achieve:
Inspiration has a ceiling: We often assume bigger success stories create bigger motivation. Behavioural science suggests the opposite can happen. Social comparison research shows that role models are most motivating when people can imagine a realistic path between where they are today and where the role model is. Once the gap becomes too large, inspiration can turn into cynicism because the success no longer feels relevant to their own experience.
Fairness matters more than equality: Most employees don't expect equal outcomes. They generally accept that leaders carry more responsibility, make more difficult decisions, and therefore earn more money. What matters is whether the relationship between contribution and reward still feels proportional. Equity Theory suggests motivation is shaped less by what we receive and more by whether the exchange feels fair.
Nobody enjoys playing a game they have no chance of winning: Expectancy Theory proposes that people invest effort when they believe their actions can influence outcomes. The issue isn't that employees want trillion-dollar fortunes. Most people would settle for a promotion, an interesting project, or a salary that keeps pace with inflation. The challenge comes when the rewards at the top become so detached from ordinary experience that they stop feeling connected to effort altogether. Motivation depends on believing that performance leads somewhere worthwhile. Once people stop seeing that relationship, they can start to become cynical.
Every workplace runs on an unwritten deal: Most organisations don't promise extraordinary wealth. They promise progression. Employees are expected to contribute, develop, and perform. In return, they expect opportunities, recognition, and growth. Research on the psychological contract shows us that engagement often suffers when people stop believing that relationship is working as intended.
š° Elon Musk becoming a trillionaire makes me feel...
šWhat this means for leaders
Organisations often assume bigger success stories create bigger motivation. The relationship is probably not that simple:
Don't confuse admiration with motivation: Many organisations love showcasing exceptional success. The founder who built a billion-dollar company. The executive who climbed from graduate to CEO. The employee who became a partner before turning 30. Those stories can be incredibly motivating when people can imagine themselves somewhere along the same path. The problem is that inspiration relies on relatability. Once success starts looking completely unattainable, people stop seeing a role model and start seeing an exception.
Be careful what your reward systems communicate: Employees pay attention to more than their own pay packet. They pay attention to who gets rewarded, how often, and for what reasons. Most people are perfectly comfortable with unequal outcomes. What creates tension is when rewards appear disconnected from contribution, effort, or impact. At that point, the conversation stops being about compensation and starts being about credibility.
Remember that fairness is ultimately a story: Every organisation tells a story about how success works. Sometimes explicitly, often implicitly. Work hard. Develop your skills. Take on responsibility. Create value. Good things will follow. Most employees aren't auditing that story every day but they are constantly collecting evidence about whether it still holds up. The moment people stop believing the rules make sense, engagement becomes far more difficult to sustain than most leaders realise.
š¬ Final thoughts
Most people aren't looking for a private rocket company, a Mars colony, or a net worth that requires scientific notation. They're looking for evidence that the next step is worth taking. That effort today might lead somewhere better tomorrow.
A trillionaire makes for a great headline. I'm just not convinced it makes for a particularly useful role model.
How's the depth of today's edition?
If any of these land differently read together, I'd genuinely love to hear it. Hit reply.
Frank
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