by Richard Birke, JAMS course
About two years ago, I wrote an article with the exact same title. The discontent still seems to be on the rise. Are the reasons the same or different? Are the old reasons still causing problems and are new ones adding to the burden?
Let’s take a look and re-examine the advice I gave back then and see if it’s still useful.
Last time, the list of questions “What makes people grumpy at work?” » includes remote/hybrid work, social media, political speech and events, the reduction of social barriers and the relaxation of borders, economic stress and artificial intelligence technology. Some have changed, others less.
Economic stress is probably one of the main reasons. Even when other pressures come and go, concerns about wages, job security, inflation and the cost of living tend to show up at work.
The situation with remote/hybrid working arrangements appears to have reached relative peace. Workers remain largely dissatisfied with mandates to return to power with a 2024 survey suggests many would consider quitting their jobs if remote work options disappeareven if policies and transitions seem more stable in all sectors.
Social media remains a powerful force. Powered by AI, these platforms use algorithms designed to keep users locked in self-reinforcing loops. For many people, celebrity news and the cult of wealth haven’t so much disappeared as they have become a constant presence that can sometimes be easy to disconnect from, but hard to completely escape.
The political discourse has changed and continues to divide. The presidential election was more than a year ago, and the midterm campaigns are only a few months away. Even if one is politically agnostic, it is hard to ignore historical trends that show voters in the party not in power are energized and voters in the party in power are less energized and perhaps slightly disillusioned. The political debate currently seems to be more about events than philosophies, and the general level of political tension in the workplace seems lower than last year.
The AI era is similar to the dot-com era of the late 1990s. There was a huge surge of interest and investment, and when those investments got a little ahead of the market, there was a crash. Years later, this period was followed by sustained technological growth, which continues to this day. I hear some retrenchment when it comes to the “all about AI” mindset, and while I can’t predict the future, I think we are in the early days of this AI era. If investment declines somewhat from its peak, it is likely that it will come back strong during the next wave. Technology is advancing and AI is changing the game. However, it may be some time before we feel the full effects.
Now let’s think about what we can do.
Tip #1: Energize people.
An effective manager creates a sense of belonging and makes employees feel valued. A manager or leader can use the start of a new year as an opportunity to reflect on the organization’s mission. They should ask themselves: “Why are we here? » In an educational environment, it’s about student success and job offers. In healthcare, it’s about patient outcomes or perhaps advancing the field through research. In a manufacturing plant, this may involve creating new products or refining processes to streamline production. Simply put, a leader’s job is to inspire employees to work together to achieve the organization’s goals and achieve its overall mission.
Tip #2: Inform yourself and inform others.
I strongly encourage any manager to learn the principles of interest-based negotiation and how to defuse positional negotiators. This involves borrowing mediation skills when disagreements arise, recognizing different conflict styles, working effectively with neurodivergent individuals or with high-conflict personalities, communicating more clearly, and organizing meetings better. There are a wide range of resources, including books, courses, training and workshops, which can help a new or experienced manager to better recognize conflicts at the early stages, prevent them and, where this is not possible, resolve them quickly and effectively.
Additionally, it’s a good idea to offer these trainings and resources to as many staff members as possible. The more conflict resolvers there are in an organization, the better.
Tip #3: Commit to better communication.
Be transparent. Describe your communication strategy; that is, when and how people will be informed about the next steps of a project. Outline the best ways for group members to give feedback and ask questions. And be clear about what you can’t say. Everyone knows that some matters are confidential, so it won’t hurt, and might even help, if leaders recognize the limits of their ability to disclose.
Bad mood in the workplace in 2026 is the result of increasing pressure from economic uncertainty, a rapidly changing workforce, and persistent communication breakdowns. While leaders can’t control all of this, they can shape their daily work by energizing people around purpose, strengthening conflict management skills, and communicating clearly. I still stand by this advice: listen more than you talk, replace judgment with curiosity, and model the good behavior you want others to exhibit at work.
Richard Bouleau is the chief architect of JAMS course and is experienced in resolving complex, multi-party conflicts. With over 35 years of practical dispute resolution experience, he draws on his experience in a wide range of disciplines, including mediation, psychology, economics, law, communications, negotiation theory, strategic behavior, and diversity, equity and inclusion, to apply the right tools to each client situation.
