Office paranoia is here: The signs workers are using to predict layoffs
Briefly

Paranoia about job security in white-collar workplaces is affecting productivity, as employees hoard knowledge to remain indispensable. Office workers are increasingly anxious over layoffs and signs of company struggles, interpreting routine actions as threats to their stability. The fear is exacerbated by the rise of AI, stricter return-to-office policies, and diminishing roles of middle management. Workers are feeling disempowered and are prone to "paranoid attribution," a condition where they misread social cues as indicators of potential job loss.
"Workers are feeling disempowered," Michele Williams, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa, said, adding that this trend reared its head during the 2008 recession and is now back again.
"If the boss walks by and doesn't say 'hi,' are they planning to fire me, as opposed to the boss was just busy that day and just didn't notice you?" Williams said. "They're looking for these social cues and overinterpreting social cues because of that insecurity."
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