𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧.
Every organization experiences moments when priorities shift, roles evolve, or uncertainty takes hold. In those moments, productivity dips not because people stop caring but because their basic needs are no longer met.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow described this pattern more than 80 years ago in his 𝐻𝑖𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑐𝘩𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑁𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 (1943). It remains one of the most enduring frameworks for understanding human behavior at work:
• 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 need: access to rest, focus time, and healthy work rhythms.
• 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 needs: clarity, stability, and psychological safety.
• 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞: connection and inclusion.
• 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐦: recognition, confidence, and progress.
• 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: growth, mastery, and purpose.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 , 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭. If they do not feel safe, they cannot focus on achievement. If they do not feel seen, they cannot stretch toward growth.
Recent findings from Gallup’s 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝐺𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 2024 show that 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥-𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠.
𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬
𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 . Ask “What feels uncertain right now?” before outlining new goals.
𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 . Clear norms that make it okay to ask questions or disagree respectfully.
𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐲 . Esteem grows when people know their contributions still matter, especially during change.
𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 . Restoring balance helps people re -engage faster.
𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐤 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛 𝐮𝐩. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐡𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐦 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞.
𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰?