4 Tips for Building a Respectful and Open Culture

It’s no secret that we are facing a mental health crisis and the workplace is no exception. According to Mind Share Partners’ 2021 Mental Health at Work Report, more employees are leaving their jobs for mental health reasons than ever before. An overwhelming 84% of respondents reported at least one workplace factor that negatively impacted their mental health, the most common being emotionally draining work and work-life balance. To address these increasing feelings of burnout and disengagement, business leaders can no longer look at mental health as an individual’s responsibility — they must make it a collective priority.

In my mind, this starts with mentally healthy leadership. This type of leadership style is built on self-awareness, making sure you take care of your own mental health to be the best leader you can possibly be. As leaders, we sometimes underestimate how much our behavior and mindset influence how employees behave. When we prioritize our own well-being, we are better equipped to create a healthier environment for our employees to thrive.

In my experience as a leader, employees crave spaces where they feel valued, recognized, respected, and treated fairly and inclusively, where differences are acknowledged and celebrated, communication is open and the organization’s values and clear. Above all, they want to be treated as human beings. As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind leaders that fostering a respectful and open culture is a critical first step in creating a more emotionally supportive workplace. Here are some learnings to consider:

Start with open communication.

Open communication must be an intrinsic part of your organization’s culture. It’s not always easy, but with leadership commitment and employee training and practice, open communication can become the centerpiece of your culture. I believe this happens when leaders can create a no judgement zone — an environment where team members can share their ideas and feelings without fear, knowing that that their thoughts will be respected. In addition, placing value on listening is equally important. As a leader, creating opportunities to listen empathetically and engage in regular, authentic dialogue with teams cannot be underestimated.

Create safe spaces.

Creating safe space for employees to open up and share their thoughts and ideas is key. As a leader, you may think you’ve created a comfortable environment, but have you done enough? In my last marketing role, I wanted to make sure that there were multiple opportunities for my team to make their voices heard. For example, we hosted weekly leadership calls, monthly town hall meetings, and CMO roundtables panels so that we could get to know each other better personally and professionally while enhancing the overall marketing organization.

Make room for different points of view.

Leaders must remember that people can react very differently to the same situations. It’s important not to make assumptions about what a response may (or may not) look like. After all, your employees’ mental health could be at risk. At the height of the pandemic, for example, company leaders that made enough space for variation and flexibility among their employees generally fared better than those that were hesitant to adapt quickly.

Be an ally.

Leaders must stay accountable to creating a psychological safe environment. Instead of relegating mental health to the HR department, leaders need to serve as allies, either by sharing their own personal experiences, modelling self-care or taking action to break the stigma surrounding mental health. As part of this allyship, mental health policies, practices, benefits, and resources must be plentiful and widely communicated to employees.

During the pandemic for example, I shared with my team my concerns as a parent of young-adults who live in multiple parts of the world. My kids were far away and it was not possible for me and my husband to visit them during the pandemic which was an agonizing thing as a mom. That coupled with ever evolving medical and governmental guidelines resulted in my having an intense case of what I termed ‘Hug a Kid Withdrawal’ as I feared for their safety and well-being. I intentionally protected Zoom call times with my family because it was important for their well-being and mine. My family needed predictable connections with each other in a highly unpredictable world. Sharing this with my team and reinforcing that if they needed to block time on their calendars for important connections then they should do so. Providing an example of my own actions created a safe space for them to manage their time to support their own health whether that was visiting time with an aging parent; end of school-day time with their kids; or a mental-health break in the form of a walk or meditation break midday.

Building an open and respectful culture doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time, focus and dedication. As leaders, helping ensure the mental health of our employees is not only a tremendous responsibility, but a privilege. We may not always make the right choices, but it’s important to focus on moving forward. As my father used to say, life does not have a “reverse gear.” By embracing a mentally healthy leadership style and fostering a culture that truly values mental health and well-being, we can hopefully come closer to building a much more supportive workplace environment for everyone.