Staff mental health benefits "after the fact?"

"Instead of looking inward at emotionally bankrupt leadership philosophies, lackluster or nonexistent training for managers, and policies that emphasize productivity over physical safety and emotional well-being, companies bet on new or enhanced mental health benefits as the key to improving their employees' mood and coping skills. Therapy and other wellness resources can be a valuable tool for surviving a challenging or toxic work environment, but what really needs to change is the workplace itself."

Author Rebecca Ruiz made an incredibly important point when she wrote this article in Mashable. How can employers work to "not be" that toxic work environment? It's easy to say, of course, and staff cannot expect perfection at work. The question is, where can employers (fairly easily) make inroads with staff to create a balance of great workplace culture and hard work? I argue there are lots of ways to do this, and it's often not heavy lifting. The basics begin with listening, making staff feel heard, and taking their ideas into a "what would it look like to do what they're asking?" brainstorm. You never know what can come out the other side of that - it could be something very impactful and easy to implement.