Disengagement at work is often framed as an attitude problem. But what if it’s actually a nervous system response?

In this episode of Toot or Boot, Stacey Nordwall sits down with HR leader and psychology-trained strategist Erica Spitale to unpack the deeper forces behind workplace disengagement, trust, and emotional safety. Together they explore why employees withdraw when environments feel unsafe, how organizations misunderstand emotions at work, and why productivity without humanity simply doesn’t last.

The conversation digs into the complex reality of modern work: employees bringing global crises, economic stress, and personal uncertainty into the workplace while organizations attempt to maintain focus and output. Erica offers a powerful reframing — emotions are not distractions; they are data.

Stacey and Erica also examine the fragile nature of trust at work, how it forms (and collapses), and why trust is less about individuals and more about the conditions organizations create. Along the way they tackle the tension between emotional expression and professional boundaries, the myth of “political neutrality” at work, and the structural forces behind disengagement.

If you’ve ever wondered why employees seem checked out, why trust at work feels fragile, or how leaders can build healthier workplaces without sacrificing accountability, this conversation offers a more human framework for understanding what’s really happening.

Key Takeaways

Workplace disengagement is often a nervous system response to perceived threat, not laziness or apathy.
Employees disengage when they lack psychological safety, belonging, or trust in their environment.
Emotions at work are data points, revealing what matters and where friction exists.
Organizations frequently mislabel disengagement as an individual attitude problem instead of a systemic issue.
Productivity without acknowledging human needs cannot be sustained long-term.
Trust in the workplace is not an individual trait — it is an environmental outcome created by conditions.
Employees maintain multiple relationships at work: with their job, their team, and the organization.
Leaders must balance clear expectations with humane assumptions.
Emotional expression and professional boundaries can coexist — workplaces need space for both engagement and retreat.
During economic uncertainty, organizations should invest in developing existing employees rather than relying solely on hiring.

Timestamps

00:00 – Why the modern workplace feels emotionally heavy
02:00 – The idea of disengagement as a nervous system response
05:00 – Why disengagement is often misdiagnosed as an attitude problem
08:30 – Making space for emotions while maintaining workplace boundaries
12:00 – Why emotions at work provide valuable organizational data
17:00 – The myth of political neutrality in workplaces
19:00 – Why sustainable productivity requires humanity
23:00 – The complicated role of trust in organizations
28:00 – Trust as an environmental condition, not a personality trait
33:00 – AI hype, responsible leadership, and investing in existing employees