No, you're not imagining it, people are getting weirder at work. Here's why.

Consultants and recruiters say employees are getting worse at dealing with their clients and colleagues in person. The switch to remote and hybrid working has robbed them of opportunities to practise their social skills and blurred the lines between work and private.

Business futurist and consultant Kim Seeling Smith said her clients were increasingly reporting inappropriate behaviour from staff.

“I’ve heard reports... from inappropriate dress on the mild side of things to – and this is really gross – but people clipping their toenails [in the office]. I have heard that not once, but several times.”

That's an extreme example, but emblematic of a perceived decline in social skills in recent years. Some attribute the shift to pandemic era lockdowns; Andrew Hanson from recruitment firm Robert Walters says ongoing hybrid work arrangements mean people are not practising their soft skills as often as they used to.

Others say external stressors like cost-of-living pressure, climate change and global wars have put people on edge.

And in fact, academic studies show emotional intelligence has been declining for almost two decades as people spend less time with friends, family and colleagues.

Psychologist Dr Mahreen Khan , now a senior researcher at Atlassian , investigated this decline for her PhD at the 悉尼新南威尔士大学 . It revealed notable declines in students’ wellbeing, self-control and emotionality.

She told The Australian Financial Review this could be having knock-on effects in the workplace.

“Individuals with high EQ tend to perform better, are more committed to their jobs, and are more inclined to help their colleagues. They are also more likely to be better team players,” she said.

“As emotional intelligence declines, organisations may encounter challenges such as reduced performance, increased employee turnover, and poorer collaboration.”

Elsewhere this week, we learn why Wenona School principal Briony Scott believes the fear of embarrassment holds us back , find out why former Young Rich Lister Erin Deering is running for deputy mayor of Melbourne , and talk to recently departed Qantas chairman Richard Goyder about his biggest mistake at the national carrier .

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Why you should learn to be OK with embarrassment

When you're a kid, you fail all the time. It's part of learning the essential life skills we all need to function in the world. Toddlers fall many times before they taken their first steps, but they get back up and try again.

Getting comfortable with failure and embarrassment is the only way to learn anything new says Wenona School principal Briony Scott.

Listen to her conversation with BOSS editor Sally Patten on this week's episode of 15 Minutes with the Boss here . Read an edited transcript of the conversation here .

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