Do You Really Know Where Your Workplace Culture Stands?

As a leader, do you actually know where your workplace culture sits right now?

I’m not talking about where you hope it is.

Or where you think it might be.

I mean where it actually is.

It’s an important question, because many organisations are investing in training, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), wellbeing days and other initiatives without first taking the time to understand the culture those initiatives are landing in.

And that can make a big difference.

Watch the video below or continue reading:

Culture comes before the initiatives

You can have great wellbeing programs in place, but if your workplace culture doesn’t support open conversations, trust or psychological safety, people may not engage with them in the way you expect.

That’s why I believe the first step needs to be understanding.

Before we start teaching people about mental fitness, we need to understand what is happening within the workplace.

What are people experiencing?

What are the strengths of the current culture?

Where are the challenges?

And perhaps most importantly, do employees feel comfortable speaking up and asking for support?

Without understanding those things, it’s difficult to know whether the initiatives you're investing in are actually addressing what your people need.

Understanding before teaching

This is the foundation of Workbench for the Mind.

I don't believe in simply adding another wellbeing initiative and hoping it makes a difference.

I believe we need to start by understanding where a workplace is today.

Once we have that understanding, we can begin to identify the right opportunities to build mental fitness into the culture in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the people who work there.

Because every workplace is different.

What works for one organisation may not necessarily work for another.

The starting point should always be the people, the culture and the environment they are working in.

Building a mentally fit culture

Mental fitness isn't something that can simply be added to a workplace through a single training session or wellbeing day.

It needs to become part of the culture.

That starts with understanding.

When leaders have a clearer picture of where their workplace culture actually sits, they can make more informed decisions about the support, education and initiatives their people need.

And that's where real change can begin.

So, do you really know where your workplace culture stands right now?

If you're not sure, that's a good place to start.

At Workbench for the Mind, I help organisations understand where they are before determining where they need to go.

If you'd like to explore where your team stands, I'd love to have a conversation.