Uncertainty in the workplace: causes, signs and the way forward
Uncertainty is part and parcel of work. Everyone has doubts about a decision from time to time. For many professionals in healthcare, science and biotech, however, that doubt can develop into a fixed pattern. It arises during meetings, when asked questions by a manager, or at moments when your opinion is sought. This feeling stems from two factors simultaneously: the working environment and someone’s past experiences.
Where uncertainty comes from
The working environment forms the first layer. How colleagues interact with one another determines whether someone feels confident enough to speak up or admit a mistake. Harvard professor Amy Edmondson has been researching how behaviour in the workplace influences performance for twenty years. Teams in which people feel safe demonstrably perform better and deal with challenges more effectively. Research by Edmondson and Detert shows that 85 per cent of employees have at some point withheld important information from their manager for fear of the consequences. Google studied 180 teams and found that psychological safety was the strongest predictor of team effectiveness, stronger than team composition or individual talents.
A manager who reacts inconsistently or punishes mistakes directly fuels uncertainty. Research into toxic leadership links this directly to job insecurity: a stressful working environment makes people feel insecure about their position. Insecurity is therefore often a logical response to an unstable environment, not always to personal failure.
The second layer lies within the individual themselves. Shirzad Chamine, founder of Positive Intelligence, describes how self-sabotaging thoughts arise as a survival strategy during childhood. Every child experiences challenges such as rejection or failure, and develops a coping pattern in response. These patterns remain subconsciously active into adulthood. Someone with a strong inner Judge or Pleaser is more likely to feel insecure, even in an objectively safe environment.
These two aspects reinforce one another. An unsafe working environment triggers the inner saboteur. If someone is frequently criticised, for example, the ‘Pleaser’ or the ‘Stickler’ comes to the fore: a reaction that stems from well-intentioned but ineffective self-protection.
How uncertainty manifests itself
Uncertainty rarely manifests itself in the words “I’m feeling uncertain.” It hides in behaviour. Overcompensation is a familiar pattern: working harder, double-checking everything, setting impossible demands on oneself. Withdrawal is another pattern: remaining silent in meetings, avoiding discussion, missing out on opportunities. People-pleasing is also common: saying ‘yes’ to everything out of fear of rejection. And sometimes insecurity turns into fierce criticism of others, reflecting what the person themselves is feeling.
This behaviour is rarely a conscious choice. These are automatic reactions, driven by ‘saboteurs’ operating in the background.
The consequences
For the individual, prolonged uncertainty takes a toll on their health. Toxic working environments are linked to increased anxiety, exhaustion and symptoms of depression. Chronic work-related stress also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Uncertainty within an organisation hinders innovation and the ability to learn. Those who feel insecure share fewer ideas and report fewer risks. Fear of speaking up stifles insights, leaves errors unnoticed and blocks innovation. In healthcare and science, where precision and the reporting of errors literally affect lives, that cost weighs particularly heavily.
What helps
Coaching begins by providing insight. What stems from the work environment, and what does an individual carry with them from their past? Making this distinction reveals what can be influenced. A 360-degree leadership assessment such as the Leadership Circle Profile uncovers reactive patterns that stand in the way of effective leadership.
The Positive Intelligence programme focuses specifically on inner saboteurs. By recognising and weakening the ten saboteurs, people build mental resilience to choose a different response in the moment. Eight weeks of daily exercises build new neural pathways to break through and replace old patterns.
Team coaching allows you to tackle the other side of the equation. By working together on the relational systems within your team, you collectively create a culture in which everyone makes a personal contribution: feels seen. A culture in which everyone dares to speak up without fear: feels heard; and everyone participates as equals: feeling included and valued.
