The Workplace Wreckers Framework
The Workplace Wreckers are a simple diagnostic framework I use to help organisations spot the patterns behind common workplace problems. From overload and poor communication to conflict, disengagement and constant firefighting. They’re not a diagnosis in themselves, but a way of making sense of what might be getting in the way so we can choose the right intervention.
Meet them below
Grindstone
Relentless busy-ness that burns you out.
Feeling guilty about taking annual leave, a day off sick or leaving on time?
Work/life balance non-existent?
Wellbeing and rest seen as a luxury and busy seen as a badge of honour?
That's probably Grindstone
Blight
Blight loves a divided team. Mistrust of managers, unspoken conflict between colleagues and a general cloud of unhappiness across the workplace. Blight uses toxic tendrils to encourage gossip, create tension and lower morale
Dilly
Dilly fills your day with busy-work, meetings that should be emails and email trails that are longer than your to-do list.
When you feel like its been a flat-out day but you haven’t achieved anything, that’s Dilly at work already sneaking away with your precious minutes.
Frenzy
A whirlwind of distractions making deep, focused work impossible.
Frenzy doesn’t have to stop you entirely, just send enough pings, pop-ups and ‘just a quick-one’ emails your way to make meaningful progress grind to a halt and keep you firefighting.
Pile-Up
Pile-up makes sure you're overloaded with work but can't ask for help. Where there's drawn-out processes, gatekeepers protecting themselves, managers who don't delegate and a sense that all the tasks from a meeting are on you? That's pile-up at work.
Boggle
Boggle thrives on confusion. Unclear priorities, no clear goals and everyone pulling in opposite directions. Seemingly simple messages become tangles of vague instructions and unclear expectations. Boggle uses a fog of misunderstanding to muddle communication, leading to second-guessing, duplication, inaction and frustration.