Andrew Mina

The future of work is becoming more human, even as it becomes more technological. We’re unquestionably in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where nearly every sector is experimenting with or adopting AI. Yet, despite the rise of automation and intelligent tools, we will still spend our days working with and for other humans. Just a heads up.

The shift

For quite some time now, performance management has been shifting, much to my great joy, from a punitive model to one that is growth-focused. Across industries, leaders and employees are getting better at setting meaningful goals and working to develop strengths rather than obsess over weaknesses.

This shift has been encouraged by reports like the OECD’s Future of Work 2025, which consistently highlight the need for leaders and HR teams to invest in developing the skills employees have and want, aligning them with role requirements and organizational goals.

Where does forgiveness fit into the future of work?

But here’s what I’ve been wondering: Where does forgiveness fit into the future of work?

We all have responsibilities and accountabilities, deliverables and objectives, targets and benchmarks. Yet in a world that is increasingly driven, relentless, and ever-changing, how do we treat one another when mistakes inevitably happen?

As a leader, you will at some point need to extend forgiveness to someone you work with or someone who works for you. Humans get things wrong. Misunderstandings happen. Context gets missed. Clarity slips. And sometimes we simply make a mistake. As an employee, the same applies: undoubtably, you’ll need to forgive a colleague or even a leader.

To be honest, this has been true for me as well. I’ve found myself needing to both seek and offer forgiveness… possibly even this week! Maybe you can relate.

The cost of unforgiveness

Unforgiveness in the workplace is a real risk. It can:

• Create a toxic and limiting environment
• Reduce morale and productivity
• Slow promotions and professional development
• Stifle innovation, creativity, and agility
• Breaks down relationships and affects physical and mental health

In simple terms unforgiveness stops the ‘flow’ and I am sure you’ll know what that means in your context.

Yes, feedback matters. Lessons should be learned, shared, and applied. But withholding forgiveness breeds bitterness. It shows up in subtle ways: that sinking feeling when a certain name appears in your inbox or a message in your internal message platform, or the familiar “Monday Blues” after a weekend spent stewing over unresolved tension.

Lack of forgiveness also creates fertile ground for shame based behaviours that show up both in private and in public. Think micro-aggression, ghosting messages, or outright public criticism. When issues remains unresolved, they tend to “leak out” of us, regardless of our seniority or experience.

Forgiveness, when done well, brings an incident to a close. It acknowledges a lesson learned and communicates belief that the person will grow from this point forward. It avoids the Sarah Black approach—played by Gal Gadot in Red Notice (2021):

“I’m big on forgiveness.
I always have been.
But I’m not so big on forget-ness.”

It’s a great line, but it underscores a truth: forgiveness is not a feeling; it’s a decision.

I am a big fan of Amy C. Edmondson’s seminal work The Fearless Organization, which argues that psychological safety is foundational for learning, innovation, and growth. If our workplaces are to truly become fearless, then we must also address forgiveness. And by “address,” I don’t mean merely acknowledge but it needs to become a leadership practice.

I deeply appreciate Manpreet Dhillon’s perspective in Forgiveness as a Key Leadership Attribute (2018):

“When we’re able to forgive mistakes and allow people to have a second chance, we enable them to perform better. We show them that we have faith in their ability to become better team members, but we’re also gifting them with the space to fulfill their potential to be the best they can be.“

Forgiveness, when given, is best offered as quickly as you can genuinely manage. It shouldn’t be withheld until it’s strategically beneficial or emotionally convenient. Forgiveness isn’t transactional. It is best offered privately first, then publicly where appropriate.

C.S. Lewis captures the heart of forgiveness beautifully in Mere Christianity (1952):

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

Finally, there are three more things I think that should be said about forgiveness in the workplace:

1. You need to acknowledge the error and ask for forgiveness
2. You need to forgive yourself and not carry around the error for the rest of your days. It means also it will be able to better receive the forgiveness from others
3. You need to forgive people even if you’re longer able to do it in person and even if they haven’t asked for it. This may seem to contradict point 1 but this is where grace comes in and you reduce ‘baggage’ you could be carrying around.

Forgiveness it a key for improving your workplace experience and ensuring that we keep our humanity and potential for growth at the forefront of our daily work lives.