🔍 Truth Serum Tuesday: The RTO Glossing Problem

Return-to-Office Mandates Are Fueling Fake Positivity—Here’s How to Call It Out Without Risking Your Sanity

The Glossing Epidemic: When Leadership Pretends Everything’s Fine

As companies double down on return-to-office (RTO) mandates, many employees are experiencing a strange new twist in workplace culture: “glossing.”

What is glossing? It’s when leadership ignores or sugarcoats legitimate concerns—like burnout, unrealistic workloads, or the logistical chaos of hybrid schedules—by flooding the workplace with vague positivity, team spirit campaigns, or out-of-touch “gratitude” emails.

The message? “Let’s stay positive,” instead of “Let’s deal with the real issues.”

Glossing is a gaslight dressed in a team jersey.

Why Glossing Feels So Toxic

You’re not imagining it. When legitimate challenges are brushed off with fake optimism, it becomes hard to speak up, advocate, or even trust what’s real. That’s not just annoying—it’s psychologically unsafe.

Glossing can:

  • Dismiss emotional labor: You're expected to stay cheerful, no matter what.
  • Punish honesty: Expressing discomfort becomes "negative energy."
  • Reinforce power imbalances: Leaders get to control the narrative while employees are told to “just be adaptable.”

In toxic RTO settings, glossing becomes a smokescreen for erased boundaries and increased control.

Truth Serum Tactics: What to Do When You're Being Glossed Over

Let’s be clear: you don’t need to explode, escalate, or emotionally drain yourself to be heard. You need to initiate with intention. Here's how to apply the SHIELD Pillar of “Initiate Interactions Intentionally” in these situations:

1. Name It—Professionally

Try:
🗣️ “I’ve noticed a pattern of upbeat messaging, but I’m still concerned about [insert real issue]. Is there a forum where that feedback can be addressed directly?”

Why it works: It spotlights the disconnect without shaming anyone. It also subtly shifts the conversation from “yay team” to “real talk.”

2. Document the Disconnect

Create a “Gloss Tracker” folder. Log moments where your feedback was dismissed and compare them to company emails or meetings that ignore those issues. This isn’t petty—it’s protection.

Try phrases like:
✉️ “To follow up on the concerns I raised during yesterday’s meeting about the RTO schedule, I wanted to reiterate how this impacts team logistics and morale...”

3. Echo Real Needs in Strategic Ways

Use SHIELD-style echoing to subtly reinforce real needs while sounding composed.

Try this in a meeting:
🎯 “While I appreciate the positive framing around RTO, I think it’s equally important we surface ongoing stressors so they don’t silently impact performance.”

You’re not being negative. You’re being accurate.

4. Redirect Glossing Into Clarity

If your leader hits you with “We just all need to stay positive,” say:

🧭 “Absolutely. And staying positive is easier when we have clear channels for addressing issues like [specific challenge]. How do we make space for both?”

This shifts gloss into dialogue. Now you’re steering, not absorbing.

Final Takeaway: You’re Not Negative for Noticing

Toxic positivity is just as harmful as overt dysfunction—it erodes trust, silences feedback, and turns authenticity into a liability.

Use Truth Serum Tuesday to call things what they are, without losing your cool, your credibility, or your job. Stay real. Stay strategic. And don’t let glittery nonsense silence your truth.

🛡️ SHIELDs up. Gloss down.

Feels like glossing at work?  Let's chat: https://calendly.com/theshieldsystem/welcome-call

 

 

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