10 ways to know if your workplace is psychologically healthy. A unicorn?

"There is more to life than making a living. Do not work more than you live." ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana.

I have worked hard my entire life but I haven't worked smarter my entire life. Now that I do, ... I realize that not everyone will understand it's necessity, but, how can I not demand it?

We can't. Once we see something in ourselves, we can't unsee it. Insisting on living out a healthy, happy, balanced, engaged life full of curiosity and wonder isn't an outrageous ideal. It's a goal to be obtained, then maintained.

Everyone deserves to be happy. Everyone deserves to be valued, respected and content with their job. No exceptions. It can happen, but all stakeholders have to get behind this notion.

A great company isn't impossible. It's not a unicorn. It's a shift in conscious decision making.

Yesterday I posted an article with a dozen red flags to look out for. Nobody wants to be abused at work. Any one of those dozen would be enough to have you question your position. When you've experienced all of them? Run.

People weren't walking off the job because of money. It's not always about money. People want to feel safe. They want to be treated well. They don't want to be abused by bosses, companies or client/consumers.

People realize that their lives matter too. They want to live in their lives, not just exist to make a paycheck.

Then I started thinking about the counter to that. Life is a balance. Scales tip in one direction or another, and yet, they always even out in the end. Or ... they should. That's how scales work. I did what I always do, look for the balance.

I had worked for a company that felt like Harry Potter's stairs at Hogwarts, but .. no warning. No instructions. No idea how they worked. It was the most psychologically unhealthy place I'd ever been, while claiming to be a health center. Talk about unhealthy!

So I came up with a dozen "dream qualities" of a great place to work. They are a much simpler ideal, but is there such a place?

I know I'm not famous, so rarely get the blazing hundreds of thousands of comments and shares. I never worry about that. I'm not trying to be Oprah or Gretchen. I don't need that to be happy.

What I write about is so much more important to me than who is reading what I write about.

If one leader can pick up some of these, it would make life better for any and all who work for them. The trick is ... will they be able to?

1. You can trust your boss to be trustworthy.
2. You are respected and allowed to respect others.
3. You can speak your mind freely, without retaliation, but instead with collaboration and openness, and/or curiosity. Respectfully.
4. There is a growth mindset in the workplace.
5. Aesthetics are paid attention to. Lights. Noise. Cleanliness. Smells. Snacks. Ambiance.
6. You like the work that you do which also means, they give you what you need in order to accomplish your work on time, in the most efficient manner.
7. You are well trained before asked to jump in. Then, when you have questions, they happily answer them, without retaliation, judgement or condescension (see #1 & #2).
8. You are not asked to give away all your free time to serve the company. They truly respect your down time or days off. You are well rested.
9. They are open to hearing your ideas, and reward you if you come up with something they will value.
10. When you get to work, you want to be there because you are always curious, creative, and excited to do the work. This can happen when you feel like a part of something bigger than yourself. NOT because they force these things on you, but because you chose them.
11. They don't allow toxic and negative work place slogans to ooze into the system. Things like, "thank god its Friday" or "hump day' but instead, create a flow of engagement that focuses on language and tone.
12. The leaders have confidence in their ability to lead which is felt throughout the entire company. No middle manager nightmare stories. No tossing out titles and obnoxious bonuses to people who didn't pull their weight. Only a true team effort without having popular trigger words shoved down your throats so it looks good on the website and walls. "Too many companies shove "meaning" and "mindfulness" onto their employees but never ever actually practice it or know what it means.

Unicorn?

Maybe.

But then, maybe not.

All I know is, companies who actually care, take care of their own, offer support when support is needed, respect each other and create an environment where people feel seen, respected, heard and safe ... are companies that consumers will respect too.

How do we create such places?

The opposite of everything I wrote yesterday.

There will always be bugs, but when we cultivate the bugs into teachable or learning moments, we can grow. I get that personalities play a big part in making all of this work. Not all personalities fit a company culture. But this is my unicorn list, so let's imagine there is such a place.

If you know of one, drop it in the comments or let me know. I'd love to hear about them.

While my House of Henry Healing is on Artcation, I'm also writing for joy. I insist on it.

Yes. After forty years as an adult person who literally broke her back to survive or live paycheck to paycheck in order to raise kids in some semblance of a just and fair existence ... I must insist on feeling joyful about the work that I do.

My years of putting up with awful, toxic, dangerous, greedy, untrustworthy people and/or companies .... are over.

This unicorn?

The only way to live.

KH @inkhoneypub on Instagram and Twitter. @Ink1925 on TikTok

Henry Healing ~ my psychology side

@inkhoneypub ~ my artistic creative writing and painting side.

Both have tiny house panthers.

One can not teach "thriving, joy, happiness, Meaning or mental health" without also living it to its fullest.