Try Loosening the System, Not Tightening the People

We spend a lot of time trying to help people cope.
Take regular breaks. Adjust your posture. Drink more water. Build resilience. It’s all well-meaning — but it also implies that the problem lies with the individual.

So when someone’s struggling, the instinct is to hand them a toolkit. But what if they’ve already tried it? What if they’ve done everything “right” and still feel drained?

That’s when we need to ask a bigger question: Are we helping people adapt to an environment that’s fundamentally unfit for humans?

The mismatch we don’t talk about

Most workplaces weren’t designed with real people in mind. They were designed for order, predictability, efficiency. But humans are messy. Rhythmic. Sensitive to their surroundings. Not built to sit in one place for eight hours and perform flawlessly across a hundred micro-demands.

We’re trying to fit people into systems that don’t suit us — and then wondering why morale is low, attention is scattered, and back pain is on the rise. Instead of redesigning the system, we keep tightening the people.

Listening is a design tool — not a courtesy

When I say we need to listen, I don’t mean hosting an annual feedback session and typing up the minutes. I mean creating a culture where honest conversations happen every day — naturally, without agenda — and where what people say is taken seriously.

Not just at the surface level.

Because the most valuable insights don’t always come dressed up as formal complaints. Sometimes they come out quietly, almost as throwaway lines:

“By the time I get my lunch break, I’m not even hungry anymore.”

“I feel more productive after 3pm, but most of my meetings are in the morning.”

“I find myself pretending to be busy so people don’t ask me for things.”

None of those are dramatic. But all of them carry something important — a tension, a mismatch, a hidden drain on energy or focus. And often, they reveal patterns that no survey could detect.

Don’t collect data. Collect meaning.

One person’s comment might reflect an isolated need. But five people hinting at the same tension? That’s design intelligence.

We need ways to gather those insights — ethically, anonymously if needed — and look for trends. Not to reduce people to data points, but to let real experiences shape how we do things.

The goal isn’t to please everyone. It’s to notice friction, ask better questions, and try things out. Sometimes that’s as small as moving a break 30 minutes earlier. Sometimes it’s rethinking how a team communicates. Sometimes it’s saying: maybe this part of our culture worked once — but it doesn’t anymore.

Culture is built in the margins

Big transformation doesn’t always come from big moves. Often, it starts in the margins — in how easy it is to talk to someone above you. In whether people feel safe saying, “This bit doesn’t work for me.” In how much flexibility is available without having to fight for it.

When we design systems that support real people, people show up differently. They stop pretending. They think more clearly. They contribute more honestly. And they don’t burn out trying to fit in.

It’s not softness. It’s strategy.

Creating a more human environment isn’t about being nice. It’s about being smart.

When people are thriving, they create better work. When they’re not, they survive — and survival mode doesn’t fuel innovation, loyalty, or growth.

It doesn’t take a revolution. It takes a shift in mindset.

Stop asking people to twist themselves into shape. Start asking how we might soften the system just enough that more people can breathe.

Try loosening the system. Not tightening the people.