Totally been there with the shop floor tension. Found it works better to pull someone aside for real critiques, saves the jokes for stuff that doesn't matter.

Sometimes it feels like the opposite to me. All the small stuff can just blur together and people seem more separate.

Shaky presses are normal, no need for dramatic fixes.

Remember reading this old review about the sound design in some horror movie. The critic pointed out how the quiet scenes made the jumpscares way worse. Never noticed that trick before, but now I can't unhear it. Makes you wonder what else gets missed without someone pointing it out, right?