What helps after work setbacks? Not what researchers thought

November 3, 2025

New study finds help from immediate colleagues may not be the best source of support

Support from immediate colleagues during a setback or mistake at work may not always be the best help, a new study has found, which warned about its potential impact on overall engagement.

Researchers from the University of Maryland ran a seven-week survey among working professionals to determine their reactions during setbacks where they felt they had lost the respect and admiration in the eyes of their colleagues. 

These setbacks include instances of being passed over for a promotion, making a significant mistake, or losing an important client.

The researchers found that when employees experienced these instances in more supportive work groups, the result was lower engagement due to anxiety, self-threat, and hurt feelings. 

"While you might think it would be better for people to experience these types of failures in more supportive work groups, it actually turns out to be worse," said Jennifer Carson Marr, Associate Professor of Management and Organization at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, in a statement. 

"When we set out to study this question, we thought it would be helpful—at least in some ways."

Impact of ambivalence at work 

Researchers attributed the reaction to ambivalence, where employees feel both support and at the same time disrespected in the eyes of co-workers. 

This heightened ambivalence triggers anxiety, self-threat, and hurt feelings among employees who experienced the setback.

"Our findings suggest that despite the objective benefits that a supportive context can provide to those who experience status loss, the conflicting attitudes individuals hold about coworkers who offer support but not respect may undermine the effectiveness of that support," the study stated. 

What this means for organizations 

Co-workers and managers need to be receptive to the problem, according to Marr, who said any employee may experience it.

"Managers need to care about all of their employees and also make sure the people who are producing the most on their team aren't reducing their engagement," she said.

"That could be pretty significant to the team's overall productivity."

The study did not look into the actual reaction of colleagues when their teammate experiences a setback, but it urged them to reinforce that a setback is only "temporary" that can be overcome. 

"Supportive group members could also emphasise the domain-specific nature of the status loss and affirm other aspects (outside the domain of the loss) of the individual's performance or behaviour that contribute value to the group," the study read.

"This may reduce the self-threat employees experience from relational ambivalence (after losing status in a more supportive group), allowing them to reengage with their work." 

Seeking help from an employee who is not in the same work group may also be helpful, according to the study.

"You may be able to get some objective support that's helpful, and they may also be able to help you with perspective," Marr said. "They could reassure you that you're still well-respected in the broader industry to help you move past this one event."