If you ask people in our industry, almost everyone will tell you not so hunky-dory stories about toxic work environments they at some point endured during their career. If you Google “my workplace is…” the first results that pop up are concerning. On LinkedIn, you constantly see industry leaders talk about how important mental health is in the workplace, with hundreds of accolades, likes, hearts underneath the post. But posting about it is not the same as actually doing something about it. Everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon of the newest buzzword in our industry: mental health awareness at work. But how about instead of talking the fluffy talk, we not only collectively change the narrative on what an acceptable and healthy work environment should look like nowadays, but also walk the walk.

Marsha Hofstee

My generation (older Millennials / Gen X) grew up with the thought that asking for help was a sign of weakness – especially for men. Talking about mental health struggles was a taboo, even more so in the workplace. Long work hours (at least in this region) in a cut-throat environment were seen to be ‘normal’ because “this is media” and “it shows someone’s ambition”. High turnover of employees was standard as people worked until they were burnt out, then switched jobs, only to repeat the cycle. Being called by your client or boss on a Friday night to deliver a project on Saturday eve was ‘normal’ and like Nike, you ‘just do it’ – no questions asked. Cold, authoritative bosses – often instilling a culture of fear – were seen as respected and successful, strong leaders. 

Luckily, there seems to be a long overdue shift taking place. The pandemic – with all its negatives – has had the positive outcome of making mental health (at work) a relevant and talked about topic for everyone, everywhere. It’s being taken more seriously and is no longer as taboo as it once was. Asking for help, setting boundaries at work, and demanding a healthy work life balance with a hybrid form of working, is now a sign of strength. Empathetic leaders are the future. After experiencing burnout myself and having worked at numerous agencies in Holland and the Middle East, I count myself lucky to currently have helped create and work in a healthy agency environment, where I have a great boss and happy team. Surprisingly it still seems an anomaly in this region; the shift still seems to be stuck in first gear.

A recent study from Glassdoor showed that companies who won a “Best Places to Work” award, due to their positive culture, significantly outperformed the overall market. Many more studies have shown there is a positive correlation between work-life balance and job satisfaction. Which means there is proof that a happy and caring work culture not only improves employee well-being and boosts productivity, but also creates happy clients and generates higher profits. A win win situation!

Creating such a healthy and positive work environment, in my opinion, only works if as a leader you’re able to show empathy – which will be a critical skill for the future. A study by Catalyst found that companies with empathetic leaders drive innovation, engagement, retention and inclusivity. 86% of employees interviewed highlighted that they had better work-life balance as a result. Leaders don’t have to be experts in psychology or change their personality in order to show empathy, nor be overly emotional or soft. It can be the simple act of genuinely asking how someone on your team is doing, to constantly check in. It’s about being able to provide the right resources or help in case someone is struggling – and taking it seriously. It means offering help by taking work away or giving time off when someone seems overworked. Getting to the root cause if you see your team sending emails at midnight or consistently delivering projects after office hours. This should be seen as a sign something is wrong – and neither one of ambition nor hard work. When someone is sick, making sure they close their laptop, hand over their work, and focus on recovery. Mental health issues like stress also affect you physically, so let’s normalize taking ‘mental health sick leave’ – hoping it never comes to this of course. Being vocal and open about it myself makes it easier for my team to follow suit. 

It takes time to build such a safe company culture, and your employees will only open up if you have an open-door policy and there is mutual trust. The time to start… is now.

So let’s all walk the walk in the same direction, in our pursuit of workplace happiness. Let’s normalize healthy work environments, and no longer tolerate toxic ones. Let’s destigmatize the taboo of mental health discussions at work and speak up. Let’s stop seeing a burnout as a badge of honor but for what it really is, a cry for help. Instead of saying, “this is how it works in our industry”, how about we change the narrative and lead by example. Eventually it will rub off on our staff and set the new standard. So that in a few years’ time, when Gen Z and Alpha Google “my workplace is…”, the results will put a smile on their face, and the movie “Horrible Bosses” will be a classic long-forgotten comedy far from their reality.