Workplace ‘fawning’ – or extreme people-pleasing behaviours to avoid conflict – is a growing behavioural trend, and is especially being seen among younger Gen Z workers. Chris Britton looks at how you can spot and, crucially, manage it.
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The three classic human responses to threats – fight, flight, or freeze – are well-known. But there is a lesser-known fourth response: ‘fawning’.
Described as a ‘learned adaptation to a hyper-connected, high-stakes social environment’, fawning is reported to be a growing behavioural trend among Gen Z, which is being seen in all activities, from socialising with friends to how they interact with people in the workplace.
It’s not a new concept, but its growth among this demographic is attributed to them growing up in a digital world. Gen Z is already familiar with the concept of “being always on” and being able to connect and speak with anyone, at any time, at just the click of a button.
They’re also highly focused on building a positive online persona, which they’re well aware will drive engagement with their social media channels and is more likely to encourage ‘likes’ and increase their number of followers.
Experts report that fawning is starting to filter into Gen Z’s offline lives. While it might appear as kindness or team spirit in a work environment, at its most extreme, fawning can turn into excessive people-pleasing, avoiding conflict at all costs and over-accommodating others.
In reality, it can also signal deeper workplace issues like low psychological safety and unsustainable workloads.
What are the signs of ‘fawning’ in the workplace?
Common signs from employees include:
- Constantly seeking reassurance on all work contributions.
- Excessive agreement with all ideas in meetings, even contradictory ones.
- Frequently staying late or working outside of office hours.
- Consistently taking on extra work despite a lack of capacity.
Fawning may stem from individual struggles but can also reflect workplace issues, especially low psychological safety.
Coined by Harvard Business School’s Professor Amy Edmondson, the concept of psychological safety is crucial for healthy, collaborative workplaces, where legal rights and individuality are recognised as a business priority. It is the absence of interpersonal fear, which allows people to perform their best in any setting.
However, our research reveals a discrepancy in perceived psychological safety at work. More than half (51%) of HR professionals believe employees feel safe confiding in them, but only 42% of employees feel this way.
In a psychologically unsafe workplace, employees feel unrecognised and anxious, unsure where to seek support.”
In a psychologically unsafe workplace, employees feel unrecognised and anxious, unsure where to seek support. A lack of recognition fuels feelings of insecurity, making it difficult for employees to be their true selves or engage confidently at work.
When businesses reward employees for working excessive hours, others will feel obliged to follow suit, creating unhealthy workplace habits. Constantly exceeding your working hours easily results in fatigue and burnout. And as we all know, tired, anxious, and exhausted employees do not equate to healthy, productive teams.
Workplace burnout may even weaken short-term memory, attention spans and other cognitive processes, potentially making employees notably less productive. Burnt-out workers are also 63% more likely to take sick days and nearly three times as likely to be looking for another job.
What can HR do to reduce ‘fawning’ in the workplace?
Listening to your employees encourages productivity, diligence, and hard work – especially when coupled with recognition. Creating opportunities for employees to contribute during meetings or creative collaborations will promote psychological safety, increase job satisfaction, and reduce the need for excessive approvals.
An effective approach for businesses to prevent and alleviate behaviour like ‘fawning’ is to signpost employees towards relevant emotional wellbeing support”
When a workplace culture emphasises strict rules and boundaries, it can intimidate employees into feeling unable or less willing to step outside the boundaries of a project to offer innovative solutions. This creates a tense working environment and leads to an unmotivated workforce.
Ensure that you invite diverse opinions in meetings and that candid, constructive feedback is valued, not just agreement.
Employees need to know they have the freedom to make mistakes, express opinions, and provide feedback. They should also feel comfortable pushing back and saying ‘no’ to extra work if they lack capacity, without fear of negative consequences.
Leaders and their leadership style have a unique opportunity to create a psychologically safe work environment. Openly encouraging employees to take time off, set boundaries and to ‘switch off’ at the end of the working day needs to be led from the top down.
Those who lead with honesty, respect and vulnerability will build a team that is motivated and engaged.
Finally, an effective approach for businesses to prevent and alleviate behaviour like ‘fawning’, feelings of burnout and anxiety in the workplace is to signpost employees towards relevant emotional wellbeing support.
This may include employee assistance programmes (EAPs), which support staff with issues like stress at home or work, financial difficulties and family and relationship concerns.
Wellbeing benefits and talking therapies are an essential offering, helping all employees manage conflicting priorities, difficult emotions, and common life stressors.
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