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Weird Dynamics at Work (and What to Do When Everything Feels a Bit… Off)

Let’s be honest, sometimes workplaces get weird. Really weird.

I’m talking about the kind of weird where restructures drop out of the sky, people disappear from the org chart overnight, teams get Frankensteined together, and suddenly the person who used to sit next to you is now posting photos of their “new chapter” on LinkedIn while you’re still at your same desk trying not to cry into a Pret sandwich.

Yep.
​Work weirdness is real.​
And almost nobody knows how to navigate it without feeling guilty, confused, or like they’re one bad question away from a career-ending moment.

So today, we’re diving into three of the strangest-but-most-common dynamics at work and what to actually do about them.

1. The Restructure Fog: When Everyone Pretends Everything’s Fine (It Isn’t)

During a restructure, even the calmest people feel unhinged.

No matter how “transparent” the comms say they are, everyone starts second guessing and critiquing. Every restructure creates:

• Uncertainty (“What does this mean for me?”)
• Overthinking (“Should I apply for something? Wait? Panic?”)
• Weird behaviour (“Why is Steve suddenly super nice? What is he hiding?!”)

So if you are sensing these shifts, instead of trying to decode every rumour, ask yourself one grounding question:

👉 “What can I take charge of today that protects my future?”

That might be documenting your impact, having a straight-forward/ chat with your manager, or discreetly exploring options.

You don’t need to catastrophise but you do need to stay alert.

2. When Colleagues Leave… and You’re the One Who Stays

Nobody talks about this enough.

When there’s a redundancy, or a close colleague resigns, the people who stay behind often experience:

• Survivor guilt
• Awkwardness
• Confusion
• A weird sense of disloyalty
• Pressure to “keep calm and carry on” while grieving the old world

And staying in touch with the people who’ve left? Well that's a complete other minefield.

You want to be supportive. You also don’t want to become the unofficial spy, courier pigeon, or therapist for the entire restructure.

Here’s the reset:​
You can care about people and protect your boundaries.

Try:

• “I’m so glad we’re staying in touch, but I can’t be your source of inside updates.”
• “I miss having you here. It’s been a strange few weeks. How are you settling?”
• “I’m navigating my own adjustment too, let’s keep cheering each other on.”

Kindness + clarity = clean relationships.

3. The ‘Redundancy Reset’: Who You Become After Things Change

Restructures and departures create a psychological reset - whether you wanted one or not.

Suddenly you start asking bigger questions:

• Who am I here now?
• What version of me is needed?
• What do I want my next chapter to look like?
• Am I shrinking? Switching off? Stepping up?
• Is this actually a chance to rewrite the rules?

This is where the power lies.

A redundancy (yours or someone else’s) forces you to look up from the day-to-day and get brutally clear:

👉 What’s the impact I want to have here?​
👉 And what moves do I need to make to get there?

This is your moment to redefine:

• How you show up
• What you prioritise
• Your visibility
• Your value narrative
• Your future direction

Tiny, intentional shifts (the 2mm moves) make a huge difference.

Here’s Your Practical Cheat Sheet: How to Navigate the Weirdness

✔ Name the dynamic (don’t gaslight yourself)​
“Yep. Things are weird right now. And that’s normal.”

✔ Get visible for the right reasons​
Quiet graft doesn’t protect you. Strategic clarity does.

✔ Set clean boundaries with ex-colleagues​
You can be loving without being their internal correspondent.

✔ Reconnect to who you are and what you want​
Don’t let restructures shrink you. Use the moment to reset.

✔ Choose one bold move​
A conversation. A question. A decision. A line drawn.
Little moves → big careers.

When You’re the Manager and Someone Leaves (Redundancy or Resignation)

Everyone focuses on the person leaving (which makes sense) but nobody talks about the people who have to stay and lead through the fallout.

If you're the manager left holding the pieces, you're juggling:

• The emotional impact on the team
• The cultural wobble ("Are we safe? What does this mean?")
• The workload redistribution no one wants to talk about
• Your own feelings about the change
• And yes… sometimes guilt

Leadership in these moments isn’t about having answers - it’s about holding the space honestly while you figure it out.

Here are a few practical resets:

1. Acknowledge what's happened; don't pretend it's all the same.

Even if your message is limited by comms or HR, say something grounding like:

Silence breeds panic.
Clarity breeds safety.

2. Protect Your Team Members, Not Just the Tasks

When someone leaves, there’s an immediate instinct to absorb their workload like a well-meaning sponge.

Stop.

The smartest managers do a work reset, not a work dump. Try:

• What work actually still matters?
• What can we pause or kill?
• What needs temporary support, not permanent absorption?

Work it out together so it feels fair, just and without dumping on anyone.

3. Reconnect People to Purpose

Departures trigger existential “why am I here?” spirals (even for top performers). Good managers don’t ignore this; they harness it:

Change can tighten culture if you lead intentionally.

4. Support Their Relationship With The Person Who Left (Without Becoming HR Gossip Hotline)

It's normal for your team to want updates, emotional processing, or closure.
Be warm, but hold boundaries.

Try:

Not:

5. Do Your Own Reset

Managers often go into “support mode” and forget that they also just lost a teammate.

Take a moment to ask yourself:

• What did I lose?
• What did I gain?
• What do I want to do differently now?
• What energy do I want to set moving forward?

Leading change starts with leading yourself.

The Bottom Line

Whether someone leaves by choice or circumstance, it creates a shift in identity, dynamics, and direction - for everyone.

Don’t ignore it.
Don’t pretend it’s business as usual.
Use the moment to lead with clarity, honesty, and intentional momentum.

If this hit a nerve: good. It means you’re alert, aware, and ready to navigate the mess with intention.

If you want more tools like this (including how to reset after upheaval), this week we have started the Redundancy Reset Mini-Guide. 5 days of short, snappy podcasts and a playbook of activities to help you gain clarity, confidence and build a bounceback plan.

Remember you’re not going mad. The workplace is weird.
But you’ve got this.

Big love,

Caroline Esterson & Wendy Gannaway

​INSPIRE YOUR GENIUS​

PS: If this hit a nerve, don’t keep it like the biscuits you hide from your colleagues.​
Forward it to someone who’d love it too (or someone who needs a nudge 👀).

Also, tell me what landed - We're crafting this with you, not at you.

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