You’re Driving Your People Away (Or They’re Too Afraid to Leave)
Let me paint a picture.
It’s 2025. Most of your staff works remotely. There are few meaningful connections. People often tow the line in public chats, avoiding honest conversations and keeping real talk for private messages.
Those required to return to the office, usually because they live close enough, are met with one of two vibes: a Severance-like eeriness (and that’s not a compliment) or a wall of quiet indifference.
Communication is either overly transparent with no follow-through, or buried in ambiguity, where everyone’s pointing fingers like that Spider-Man meme that still makes me laugh.
And when the dust settles, you’re left with three kinds of people:
The ones still fighting. Passionate, overworked, loyal. They carry the weight for their colleagues and customers.
The ones too afraid to lose their jobs. They play it safe, say the right things, and never rock the boat.
The ones who’ve quietly checked out. Bitter. Burned out. Just doing enough to stay off the radar.
Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. I hear this same story from friends, former colleagues from past organizations, even acquaintances who just need to vent.
This isn’t hopeless. You can fix more than you think.
I’m not in People & Culture. I don’t work in HR. My thoughts come from three places that rarely steer me wrong:
Experience – I’ve led several social committees, hosted countless events, built trust, and just made things happen.
Logic – Culture either connects or it corrodes.
Empathy – The one skill that costs nothing but changes everything.
I’m not the hero of this story, just someone who’s seen enough to know how preventable most of these problems really are.
If your people feel alone, left out, disconnected, or unheard, don’t wait for a survey to tell you. Bring them together. It’s not hard.
Host Lunch & Learns
Run company-wide meetings (bi-weekly, monthly, whatever gets people in a room)
Organize game nights, coffee chats, or music hangouts, in person or online
Some will show up. Some won’t. But it sends a message that “we care enough to try.”
And if none of that happens? I’ll quote a classic banger:
“Baby, I got a plan. Run away fast as you can.”
Seriously, get out.
Still, I’ll always believe that if you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of your customers. Don’t assume they only care about the paycheck. Show them that their voice, effort, and presence matter.
Last week, while getting my winter tires changed, I overheard someone joke about a company’s “amazing culture.” He laughed and said, “Yeah, just like that Christmas party they cancelled.”
That one line said everything.
Care about everyone, old and new. Because every blind spot will eventually come to light.
So you have a choice.
Genuinely try to build something better, or keep talking about culture while your best people burn out, go silent, or walk out the door.
The choice is yours.
