Embracing Discomfort At Work: Why Awkward Moments And Disagreements Are Essential In The Age Of AI

Nearly one in three employees say they would rather scrub a toilet than ask a coworker for help. 

That surprising data point is from the Social Muscle Report, a 2024 study by the Pryority Group examining workplace behaviors. It might spark a chuckle, but it also signals a growing workplace dilemma. The report highlights the erosion of what Pryority calls our “social muscle” — the everyday human abilities to connect, ask, and deal with discomfort. 

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This has little to do with cleaning and everything to do with our declining resilience around awkward social interactions. In a world shaped by hybrid work, curated digital images, and AI-driven tools, those very discomfort muscles might be the most crucial for building trust and collaboration in the modern workplace. 

Awkwardness Is Not a Defect — It’s a Sign of Being Human 

Henna Pryor, author of Good Awkward: How to Embrace the Embarrassing and Celebrate the Cringe to Become the Bravest You, recently unpacked this issue on The Future of Less Work podcast. Her research emphasizes that awkwardness isn’t something to eliminate; it’s actually part of what makes us human. 

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We encounter awkwardness in simple moments: seeking help from a teammate, meeting someone new, or admitting we don’t know something. These interactions may be clumsy, but they are exactly where connection, trust, and development begin. 

As Pryor puts it: “When we’re around each other, mistakes are inevitable. Maybe we mispronounce a name or mess up a slide in our presentation, but being in proximity invites those real-time corrections and connections.” 

Remote work has taken many of these organic moments away. After a video call, we’re less inclined to follow up. Messaging platforms offer a chance to refine our words endlessly, emails are polished to perfection, and cameras often stay off. These highly curated interactions reduce the vulnerability that makes us relatable. Without those small, messy moments, our “awkwardness muscle” weakens. And as those moments fade, so does our ability to build deeper workplace relationships. 

These unscripted moments are often the ones that spark growth. When someone responds positively to a request for help, the relationship strengthens. When a colleague shares knowledge without judgment, competence and confidence grow. When vulnerability is met with respect, it deepens a sense of inclusion. Growth doesn’t happen in the safe zones — it happens when we step into discomfort and make it through. 

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Disagreement Builds, Not Breaks, Strong Teams 

While awkwardness may be the warm-up, navigating disagreement is the real workout. And just like a muscle, our capacity to handle tension improves with use. Justin Jones-Fosu, author of I Respectfully Disagree: How to Have Difficult Conversations in a Divided World, tackled this idea on The Future of Less Work, framing disagreement not as dysfunction but as a key to resilient teams. 

Avoiding conflict might seem like the peaceful route, but as Jones-Fosu argues, it actually undermines team health. Teams that never push back might appear unified, but under stress, they often fracture. What looks like harmony can actually be silence born from fear. 

“We call that disrespectful agreement,” Jones-Fosu explains. “You nod along during the meeting, but behind the scenes, you harbor resentment.” 

Constructive disagreement, on the other hand, encourages deeper trust and stronger outcomes. When handled with skill, differing opinions strengthen teams. 

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Jones-Fosu offers a framework he calls the Five Pillars of Disagreement: respect, curiosity, clarity, humility, and consistency. Respect means engaging with the person, not just their viewpoint. Curiosity involves listening to understand, not just to counter. Clarity calls for precision and honesty. Humility allows room for other perspectives. And consistency means showing up in the same, trustworthy way, time and again. 

These are not abstract ideals. They are practical tools that leaders can demonstrate and employees can develop. They offer a roadmap through difficult interactions, helping teams grow stronger instead of shutting down. 

Why This Matters in the AI-Powered Workplace 

As artificial intelligence takes over repetitive, procedural tasks like scheduling and data sorting, what’s left is the deeply human work: collaboration, creativity, and connection. 

AI doesn’t experience social anxiety. It doesn’t hesitate to ask questions. It doesn’t struggle with conflict. 

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But we do. And that’s our advantage. 

Awkward moments and differing opinions aren’t flaws to fix. They are proof that real, human work is happening. They are how we build trust, stretch our thinking, and create breakthroughs. 

Leaders who embrace and reward discomfort create environments where innovation thrives. In the era of automation, the edge belongs to those who can navigate what machines cannot: the uncomfortable, imperfect, irreplaceably human side of work. 

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