A new year often ushers in renewed resolutions around taking better care of one’s physical and mental health and wellness. Given that we are in February and, hopefully, our 2026 New Year’s resolutions have not completely fallen by the wayside (yet), it would be helpful to take this commitment to individual health and wellness and proactively examine the extent to which our workplaces demonstrate overall wellness.
Key Characteristics of a Healthy Organizational Work Culture
Supportive Leadership & open and respectful communication
Do employees in your organization indicate that managers provide regular professional feedback, guidance, and encouragement? Do employees express feeling comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns? Is the workplace characterized by respectful, open communication that allows employees to collaborate on accomplishing joint tasks rather than compete or guard information?
Clear Expectations and Role Clarity
Across the organization, do employees understand their own roles, corresponding responsibilities and how their role supports the organization’s mission? Are employees empowered within their defined role?
Opportunities for Growth and Employee Appreciation.
Depending on the organization’s size and structure, opportunities for upward movement may be limited, but opportunities for ongoing training can persist even in flat and small organizations.
Does an employer offer training and/or seek out formal and informal opportunities to support the professional development of their employees? Is the employer open to employees’ initiative in identifying appropriate skill development and career advancement opportunities?
Similarly, a workplace’s size and overall operating budget may affect activities undertaken as part of an employee appreciation strategy. However, fostering a culture of employee appreciation (acknowledging individual and team contributions) will be an important factor in managing a healthy workplace, irrespective of its size
Signs of a Problematic Work Environment
Poor Communication
To what extent are significant communication gaps present in the workplace? Poor communication can manifest as a lack of clarity, consistency, and transparency in key communication across all levels of staff.
Micromanagement
Do employees feel a persistent lack of autonomy in being able to complete tasks or execute strategies that are within their role because supervisors constantly monitor and control all aspects of their work?
High Stress and Burnout
“Being busy” can be a common refrain around today’s work experience; it is important to be cognizant when this shifts into a chronic state that has a persistent negative impact on employees’ wellness. Do employees report that work demands routinely exceed their personal capacity? Are employees reporting chronic stress, anxiety and fatigue?
High Turnover Rates and Absenteeism
What is the average tenure of an employee at the organization? Does the workplace seem to be characterized by a cycle of constant hiring and training, only to have individuals depart sooner than expected? Is a culture of absenteeism developing? Are staff frequently arriving late to work, or advising at the last minute that they will not be attending? A workplace that is consistently not at capacity, either because there is a revolving door of staff or a reduced work force do to absenteiiism not only impacts overall productivity and stability but also puts performing employees at risk for burnout
Workplace Conduct and Culture and Legal Considerations
Harassment, Bullying and Toxic Workplace
While not problematic behaviour or challenging work environments will result in a legitimate legal claim, employers do have a legal obligation to address allegations of harassment, bullying and /or actions that amount to creating a toxic workplace.
In Ontario, the Occupational Health and Safety Act obligates employers to maintain a safe and harrasment free -workplace. Employers have an obligation to investigate complaints of harassment and remedy a toxic workplace.
Actions that may be present in a toxic workplace include:
- Bullying or abuse
- Gossip
- Haarasment
- Discrimination
- Favourtism
- Retaliation for negative feedback
In addition, any allegations that conduct in the workplace was motivated by discrimination based on race, religion, gender and other protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code can create liability for the employer under the Act, even if senior leadership was unaware of other employees’ discriminatory behaviourIf you are an employee and currently experiencing an unhealthy workplace or an employer who has concerns about the overall health of your workplace, please do not hesitate to reach out for a consultation.
