Impact of Organizational Culture on Mental Health Care

🖼 Fuseli’s “The Nightmare” (1781) is one of my favorite paintings. I like it not because it’s comforting, but because it captures something we still don’t talk about enough: what it feels like to carry unseen stress. In this iconic Romantic-era work, a woman lies draped in sleep while a grotesque imp squats on her chest. Behind her lurks a shadowy horse, eyes wide in horror. It’s a visual metaphor for night terrors, but it resonates deeply with how anxiety can feel in waking life, especially in high-pressure work environments. 👉 The truth? Mental health still isn’t treated like physical health in many organizations. We champion fitness challenges and healthy snacks in the break room but ignore signs of burnout, chronic stress, or depression. Let’s change that. Here are a few best practices I’ve seen (and implemented) that make a real difference: ✅ Normalize check-ins that go beyond performance. Managers can ask, “How’s your workload feeling this week?” Not just “Are you on track?” ✅ Make mental health resources visible and easy to access. If your EAP is buried in an intranet or requires a scavenger hunt, it won’t help anyone. ✅ Treat PTO like recovery time, not a privilege. Don’t just approve time off. Encourage it. Model it. Respect it. ✅ Design work rhythms that allow for decompression. From no-meeting Fridays to quiet hours, small tweaks reduce the cognitive load. ✅ Train leaders in emotional intelligence. Psychological safety starts at the top. Art like The Nightmare reminds us that invisible burdens are just as real and sometimes just as paralyzing as any physical obstacle. Let’s build cultures where our people don’t need to wait until nightfall to be haunted by stress . 💬 How is your organization championing mental health? What’s working—and what still feels like a dream? #MentalHealthAtWork #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #EmployeeWellbeing #Fuseli #OrganizationalCulture #LearningBites #WorkplaceAnxiety #MentalHealthAwareness

People don’t leave companies, they leave the managers who make them feel unsafe. Every Monday, Ron sat in his car, staring at the office building with a pit in his stomach. He used to love his job, he was a creative marketer full of ideas and energy. But that was before his new manager arrived. This manager didn’t lead, he commanded. Feedback came as criticism, ideas were shot down, and mistakes were met with public embarrassment. Slowly, the once vibrant team fell silent. Ron began to second-guess himself. He couldn’t sleep, lost motivation, and dreaded Sunday nights. Not because of the work, but because of the way it was managed. His therapist called it workplace anxiety. But Ron didn’t need a diagnosis to know something was off. He just didn’t feel safe at work. Here’s the truth: a bad manager can impact your mental health more than your doctor or therapist ever could. Leadership isn’t just about KPIs or deadlines, it’s about the environment you create every day. Authoritarian leadership might get short-term results, but it drains creativity, trust, and well-being. It creates workplaces where people survive, not thrive. Now imagine if Ron’s manager had led with empathy, encouraged dialogue, and made room for mistakes. That same team could have been a hub of innovation and growth. Mental health doesn’t just live in therapy rooms, it lives in team meetings, emails, and one-on-one conversations. It lives in whether people feel valued, heard, and safe. Ron’s story is a wake-up call. Leadership isn’t just a role, it’s a responsibility. If you care about results, start by caring about people. Follow Makarand Utpat for more such tips on leadership, personal branding and digital marketing. #leadership #KPIs #empathy #mentalhealth #manager #boss #employee

Work is taking a toll on employees' health. I'm not referring to the workload here. It's the workplace culture. The SHRM data is clear: 94% of workers say civility is essential to their mental health. So when incivility shows up, the mental and emotional impact is immediate and measurable. Here’s what's happening: 🚨 50% feel stressed. 🚨 37% feel burned out.. 🚨 28% struggle to concentrate. This is a crisis for employees and employers. Because when mental health suffers, performance, retention, and productivity suffer too. In Q2 2025, U.S. organizations lost an estimated $2 billion a day in productivity and absenteeism due to incivility. Each uncivil act costs workers an average of 37 minutes in lost focus. And when employees feel unsupported by their manager after an incident, they’re nearly 48% more likely to be looking for another job compared to those who receive strong support. So let's stop tiptoeing. If you manage people, you shape culture. If you lead a team, you set the tone. Civility is about creating the conditions where people can think, contribute, and stay well. This is NOT optional. This is the job. #SHRM #WorkplaceCulture #MentalHealth #Leadership #CivilityAtWork

Vivek Murthy the US Surgeon General has put a strategic priority on workplace #mentalhealth and #wellbeing. And that’s why he is my #SundayShoutOut today. ⬇️ Are you aware of his statistics? 🔅 76% of Americans have experienced at least one symptom of a mental health condition in the past year. 🔅 84% said that their workplace contributed to this. That is why as Surgeon General he has made this his strategic priority. Meaning - in his eyes this is the most significant public health threat we are facing. Mental Health - burnout, exhaustion, anxiety, depression, loneliness, isolation. ⬇️ This is his proposed framework to tackle it in the workplace. Moving from a “me (employee)” issue to a “we (organizational)” issue. We can no longer expect the one struggling to take the initiative when in most cases the organizational environment is contributing to the struggle in the first place. Collectively, this framework has everything to do with how seen, heard, valued, and cared for one feels at work. This framework dives deeper than current EQ and leadership training and doesn't come intuitively for most managers and organizations. These are not some "soft" skills that you learn at home. They can be messy and awkward. And therefore this training needs to be baked into organizational learning and development. Because they may be *the* most critical leadership skills you can have going into the next decade to tackle our mental health crisis. Keep fighting for this change Vivek! It’s why I’m shouting you out today. #ShowingUp #SupportiveLeadership 👋 If you want to know what a leadership development framework looks like to tackle this, please reach out.

According to the Gallup data, we're still grappling with the emotional fallout of the #pandemic, and it's showing up in our #workplaces. It's not just about the numbers themselves, but - rather - the "why" behind them. We can't ignore the link between #employeeengagement and #wellbeing. It's a two-way street. When people are stressed, worried, or angry, it's harder for them to be engaged in their work. But, and this is crucial, the workplace itself can significantly contribute to these negative emotions. If employees feel unsupported, undervalued, or like they lack purpose, it fuels that negativity. The good news is that we know where to focus our efforts. #Gallup's emphasis on the manager's role in #teamengagement is spot on. #Managers are the linchpins. They need the training and resources to foster #psychologicalsafety, have meaningful conversations about well-being, and create a supportive #workenvironment. This isn't just about ticking boxes with #mentalhealthinitiatives; instead, it's about weaving well-being into the fabric of how teams function. It's also no surprise that #burnout is rampant and people are looking for greener pastures. Organizations need to go beyond just offering new #benefits. While things like #mentalhealthprograms and #flexibleworkarrangements are important, they're just a starting point. We need to address the root causes of burnout – things like #excessiveworkloads, #lackofautonomy, and #unfairtreatment. Organizations need a holistic approach that combines top-down and bottom-up strategies. #Leadership needs to set the tone, invest in their managers, and create a culture that prioritizes #employeewellbeing. At the same time, we need to empower employees to take ownership of their well-being, provide them with the tools and resources they need, and encourage open communication. SHRM Jacksonville HR Florida State Council, Inc. SHRM

Let’s talk about the dynamic and demanding world of healthcare. It’s essential that we foster an organizational culture that actively supports its workforce. The prevalence of stress, burnout, and moral injury among healthcare professionals is alarmingly high, impacting not only individual well-being but also patient care and organizational effectiveness. → Creating a culture that prioritizes empathy, understands the human aspect of healthcare delivery, and implements supportive structures can significantly mitigate these challenges. → Empathetic leadership plays a pivotal role in this cultural shift, emphasizing the importance of seeing beyond the clinical to the human element. By nurturing environments where staff feel genuinely valued, heard, and supported, organizations can enhance job satisfaction, reduce turnover, and improve care outcomes. Such cultures thrive on open communication, meaningful recognition, and opportunities for professional and personal growth. → Addressing stress and burnout requires more than surface-level changes; it demands a foundational transformation towards holistic well-being. → This includes practical measures like adequate staffing, access to mental health resources, and fostering a sense of community and belonging among staff. In doing so, we not only protect our healthcare workers but also uphold the integrity and quality of the care they provide. As leaders, our challenge is to champion these changes, leveraging our influence to create environments where the workforce feels empowered, respected, and part of a purpose-driven community. This is how we build resilient healthcare systems capable of facing the challenges of today and tomorrow with strength and compassion. P.S. What strategies have you found work to reduce stress, burnout, and moral injury in the workplace? #heartleader #healthcare #medicine #physicians #nurses #healthcareonlinkedin #nursesonlinkedin #nursing #doctors #burnout #culture #stress

Companies are investing in, and talking about — mental health more often these days. But employees aren’t reporting a corresponding rise in well-being. Why? Headspace’s 2024 Workplace State of Mind study found that work stress has negatively impacted physical health for 77% of employees and relationships outside of work for 71%. A March 2022 Gallup analysis found that fewer than one in four employees felt their organization cared about their well-being — nearly half the number who said the same at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, what happened? Initiatives seem to fall short. Here's why: ◾️ Generic Solutions Don't Cut It: Work demands differ across departments. A one-size-fits-all approach for well-being won't work. ◾️ Leaders Matter: External consultants can't replace internal champions who understand the specific stressors within their teams. ◾️ Inclusion is Key: We need to address mental health across generations and genders, fostering open dialogue. Building a Mentally Healthy Workplace: A Path Forward ◾️ Tailored Strategies: Consider different work styles and stressors across departments. ◾️ Empowerment Through Leaders: Engage managers and leaders as champions for well-being initiatives. ◾️ Open Communication & Shared Experiences: Normalize mental health conversations and acknowledge diverse perspectives. ◾️ Invest in the Long Game: Mental health is a journey, not a destination. Patience and continuous improvement are key. The constant connectivity and hyper-responsiveness fueled by technology worsen work anxiety. We need strategies that address this reality. Let's Shift the Focus: 👉 Focus on People: Organizations need to be a source of connection and support. People are messy and complex, and our well-being thrives within healthy relationships. 👉 Invest in Human Sustainability: Support frameworks like the Surgeon General's Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing model offer promising solutions. It's Time to Walk the Talk: Leaders: Prioritize your own mental well-being and share your efforts to inspire others. Employees: Advocate for change, share resources, and hold your company accountable. Together, we can create workplaces that prioritize mental health and empower employees to thrive. #mentalhealth #workplacewellness #wellbeing #leadership #communication #humanresources #burnout #prevention