Cracking the culture code: Why mental health can’t be a side project

There’s a hard truth we don’t like to talk about. Work can break people. 

I’m not talking about feeling tired after a long day or an occasional bad meeting. I mean grinding stress. That feeling of being squeezed dry and then asked for “just a little bit more”. 

And while companies scramble to fix “broken” systems, productivity drops, morale craters, but the cycle of breaking people keeps spinning. 

The world has changed. Most workplaces haven’t.

Constant notifications, blurred lines between work and home, economic uncertainty, political extremities – this is the backdrop for today’s workforce. But many companies still operate like it’s business as usual. 

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends report, 84% of employees say their well-being is just as important as their salary, yet only 35% believe their company actually supports it. 

Token employee assistance and basic wellness programs are branded as culture, while behind closed doors, people keep burning out.  

And here’s the thing: if we don’t fix this, we lose more than productivity. We lose people. 

We saw this play out in real time at Aptum.  

One of our most experienced and trusted (and productive) managers shared that they were struggling to keep going. Not because they didn’t love their work, but because they felt exhausted, mentally drained, and just done. 

That conversation was a wake-up call. It made me ask the uncomfortable question: if they were feeling this way, how many others were quietly carrying the same weight? Were we creating a culture that supports people, or drains them? 

That was our turning point.  

We stopped pretending that a few wellness perks were enough. Over the past few years, we’ve been on a journey to make real change, starting with something simple but powerful: conversations. 

We started holding company-wide workshops on leading with empathy, leaning on each other, and reframing vulnerability as strength. We backed this with small, consistent actions: regular check-ins and open conversation channels.  

We took deliberate steps to: 

• Schedule time where we go beyond tasks and deadlines, creating a space for our people to seek support and encourage each other to prioritize their mental health. 

• Rethink flexibility by going beyond remote work and instituting flexible hours and clear disconnection policies. 

• Train managers with practical tools to spot signs of burnout and support their teams through it. 

• Make mental health support easy to access by openly (and regularly) promoting our programs instead of burying them on the intranet. 

• Introduce wellness tools like FitOps, volunteer days, mental health days, and learning funds. 

• and most importantly, challenge the culture of overwork by ensuring our leaders lead by example. They sign off after hours, use their vacation days, and create an environment where people can unplug without guilt. 

These aren’t just checkboxes. We track, report on, and hold ourselves accountable for every action. 

For leaders reading this: here’s what you can do today. 

Don’t wait for a resignation letter to wake you up. As we close out Mental Health Awareness Month, I hope this gives you ideas (and maybe even permission) to take the next step in supporting mental wellness at work. 

Here are three ways you can start today: 

1. Ask one uncomfortable question:
   Who on your team is showing signs of being overwhelmed, and are you ignoring it?
2. Be the first to set boundaries:
   Leave on time. Take a real lunch break. Show your team what balance looks like. 
3. Create a space for honest conversations:
   Not “How are you?” but “How are you really? What’s getting in your way?” 

We’re not done. 

Building a culture of well-being isn’t done overnight, or in a month, or a year. It’s a constant process that takes intention, consistency, and leading by example. 

By continuously listening, adjusting, and holding ourselves accountable, we can create a workplace where people thrive.  

We don’t have to live in a world of “just push through”. Quiet exhaustion and quiet quitting don’t have to be the norm. 

We’re still figuring it out. But we’re committed to making mental well-being a core part of how we work, not just a perk. 

If this sparked an idea, or reminded you to check in with someone, I’d love to hear what resonated. What’s one small action you plan to take this week to make your team feel more supported?