Thriving in Harsh Workplace Environments

In my career, I learned quickly that certain workplaces rewarded compliance over authenticity.

Questions could be read as challenges, new ideas were often dismissed, and as one of the few Black women on my team, I felt the unspoken weight of tokenism.

I became the “easy to lead” employee—over-functioning, quick to accommodate, hesitant to voice disagreement.

On the surface, I looked like a model team player. Inside, I was draining my own energy just to survive.

It was in this environment that I began to recognize what is known as the fawn trauma response at work—and the steps I took to not just survive, but thrive.

Understanding the Fawn Response

The fawn response is a trauma response, different from being passive or people-pleasing. While people-pleasing can be a conscious coping mechanism from a triggering experience or environment, fawning is an automatic survival strategy. It trains you to erase your own needs and voice to reduce perceived threat.

At work, it can look like:

Saying yes when you want to say no.
Over-functioning to avoid criticism.
Staying silent to avoid conflict.
Silencing parts of your identity to fit in or avoid being “too much.”

For Black women, this response is often amplified by patriarchal systems, biased norms, and tokenism, which make it harder to feel safe, valued, or able to bring your full self to work.

In my article, “Survival Check – The Fawn Trauma Response” I wrote “The fawn response thrives in depleted soil and harsh climates.” I want to take a moment to explain what I mean.

Depleted Soil in the Workplace

Depleted soil represents environments lacking the nourishment, resources, or support needed to grow and thrive. Signs include:

Low morale and motivation: Efforts go unrecognized, leaving employees disengaged or burned out.
Limited growth opportunities: Few chances for advancement, mentorship, or skill development—especially for underrepresented groups.
Lack of feedback and coaching: Guidance to improve or grow is missing.
Scarce resources: Insufficient tools, technology, or budget impede effectiveness.
Poor communication: Critical information is withheld or unclear, harming collaboration.
High turnover: People leave frequently due to lack of support or value recognition.

Thriving strategy: Even in depleted soil, you can nourish yourself by seeking micro-moments of recognition, documenting wins, and building supportive networks that affirm your skills and contributions.

Harsh Climate in the Workplace

Harsh climate represents a challenging environment that threatens survival or success. Examples include:

Toxic culture: Gossip, bullying, discrimination, or favoritism create fear and stress.
Unrealistic expectations: Constant pressure, impossible deadlines, or excessive workload.
Micromanagement or lack of trust: Creativity and autonomy are stifled.
Resistance to change: Innovation is blocked, ideas dismissed.
Lack of psychological safety: Speaking up feels risky.
Poor work-life balance: Excessive demands erode personal time.
Tokenism and bias: Pressure to represent your identity or fit patriarchal norms can amplify stress.

Thriving strategy: Protect your energy by setting boundaries, documenting issues, seeking allies, and focusing on what you can control. Look for mentors and communities that affirm your full self.

Using the Resilience Tree Model to Thrive

The Resilience Tree framework reminds us that thriving requires attention to:

Roots – Prioritize self-care, reflection, and replenishment to maintain strength in challenging climates.
Branches – Cultivate relationships with mentors, allies, and peers who provide guidance, appropriate accountability, affirmation, and opportunities without expecting something in return.
Fruit – Focus on output that aligns with your values, set boundaries, and practice saying no without guilt.
Environment – Advocate for workplaces that center psychological safety, inclusion, shared accountability, and trust.

By naming what support, safety, and respect look like for you, you can shift from fawning to flourishing, even in depleted soil or harsh climates.

Closing Thought: Trust as the Root of Flourishing

Gallup’s Global Leadership Report identifies trust as one of the four core needs of followers. Trust is not built through compliance. It grows when leaders cultivate climates of safety, respect, and accountability. When trust exists, fawning is no longer necessary.

Thriving in the workplace is not just about enduring depleted soil or surviving harsh climates. Sometimes resilience looks like blooming where you are planted; finding nourishment through your roots, branches, and fruit even in less-than-ideal conditions.

Other times, it means discerning when the soil is too toxic or the climate too harsh, and choosing to uproot and replant in an environment that honors your voice and values.

Both choices are acts of strength. What matters most is trusting yourself enough to know which season you are in.

With the right soil, supportive branches, and clear boundaries for your fruit, even harsh climates can become spaces where you thrive, grow, and flourish.

Reflection Prompts

Where in your work environment do you notice yourself being triggered or using past coping mechanisms to survive?
Where in your work environment do you notice yourself taking actions to avoid conflict or fit in?
Which elements of your workplace feel like depleted soil or a harsh climate, particularly as a Black woman or underrepresented employee?
What small steps can you take to create psychological safety and advocate for respect for yourself and others?
Who in your network serves as a Branch to remind you of your worth and capabilities?

Call to Action

Recognize that fawning is not a flaw, it’s adaptive. But survival shouldn’t replace thriving.

This week, take one actionable step to care for your roots, grow your branches, or nurture your fruit: set a boundary, voice a perspective, seek to spend time with someone who believes in you, or document your wins.

Comment or send me a direct message, I would love to hold space for you.

Get Your Copy of the Resilience Tree Book

If this resonates, read about more leadership practices in my book:
Resilience Tree: A Model for Women Leaders of Color and Those Who Support Them

Order your signed copy today!

RESOURCES

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Blog Post Written by Dr. Shauna T. Sobers, author of Resilience Tree: A Model for Women Leaders of Color and Those Who Support Them

Drafting assistance provided by OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The thoughts & stories are my own.