Creating a Culture of Caring

You may be wondering why I chose an image of an iceberg to discuss why creating a culture of caring is so essential for today's workplaces and teams.

I was inspired to write this post after reading an excellent article about workplace mental health in the HCA Magazine about. For many years as a speaker, consultant and facilitator I have been talking about creating cultures of caring, compassion and respect. When I am providing professional development about conflict resolution and resilience or leading teams through it, I use an analogy of the iceberg. In many teams, issues are dealt with by staying at the tip of the iceberg level which means the solution is often more like a band aid, sometimes the real issues are not addressed (which is like the mass of the iceberg under the surface which is really driving what we see above the surface). Icebergs move because of the wind and current, and team dynamics are much like that. Sometimes we need to dive a little deeper to see what is "really" going on and to address the currents underground that are impacting the day to day.

Creating a culture of caring is more than having wellness and health benefits, policies and a value statement, it is about first prioritizing wellbeing and mental health. Creating this culture also requires leaders to model caring, and self care. Looking at the sources and causes of stress in the workplace allows human resources teams and leaders to address these areas. Another approach is to also ensure that the culture of caring includes dealing with the "people" and team issues, ensuring employees have the resources and equipment to do the job (and are trained on this), providing professional development and skills training (e.g. on conflict resolution, mindfulness, communication, managing change, etc.). Cultures of caring have an environment where it is okay to ask for help.

Next month is National Stress Awareness month. A great time to be thinking about your team's culture of caring.

To learn more, have a customized in person or online training or team development session, contact Charmaine at [email protected]