Skip to content
Luma³Luma³
Building a Culture of Wellbeing at Work

Building a Culture of Wellbeing at Work

It’s October, and that means a few things: adverts for pumpkin-spiced lattes, shorter days, Halloween party plans, and, more importantly, World Mental Health Day. This year, the theme is workplace mental health—a topic close to our hearts and one that deserves a deeper dive. While raising awareness and sparking discussions is valuable, it’s crucial to think beyond this week and focus on creating a lasting impact. That brings us to workplace culture, which we believe is the single most important factor affecting employee wellbeing and mental health.

What Do We Mean by Workplace Culture?

A good starting point might be to clarify what it isn’t:

  • It isn’t about unsustainable workloads or constant ‘sprints’ to meet deadlines.
  • It isn’t a one-off mental health training day without any change in how the business operates.
  • It isn’t a lack of support from management or a blame-focused environment.
  • It isn’t the expectation to work long hours just to be recognised as valuable.
  • It isn’t installing a ‘Wellness Corner’ that nobody has time to use.

The point here is that while wellbeing initiatives and incentives are part of the picture, they only work when the leadership and management uphold these efforts. Otherwise, they can damage trust within the team. For instance, telling your staff their wellbeing matters by providing a break space, only to then make disparaging remarks when they use it, undermines the entire effort.

Key Elements of a Strong Workplace Wellbeing Culture

There are many components, and it’s certainly a complex topic. Here, I’ll cover a few of the most critical aspects for building a healthy and productive work environment.

Psychological Safety

Do you know that feeling when you're at work, and you can genuinely be yourself? That’s psychological safety, and it’s essential for employee wellbeing. When people feel safe, they can take risks and approach problems creatively without fearing negative consequences. It means knowing your workplace doesn’t expect perfection but supports growth through both successes and setbacks. In organisations like this, employees understand what's expected and feel confident in their ability to deliver. It’s like a solid friendship, where you always have each other’s backs. When psychological safety is lacking, stress increases, and in the worst cases, people leave.

Effective Communication

Good two-way communication is vital for building psychological safety, much like in any strong relationship. This means open and honest conversations grounded in trust and support. Constructive feedback is delivered respectfully, while praise is authentic and given directly. Consistency in communication—both in content and tone—across the organisation also helps employees feel secure and reduces stress.

Fostering Community

Feeling part of something bigger than yourself is powerful, and aligning with a shared mission and values enhances personal purpose and job satisfaction. There are many ways to foster this sense of belonging and community. For example, incorporating time for expressing gratitude can encourage positive interactions, build relationships, and combat the stresses of the modern workplace.

Providing Space for Wellness

This covers both time and physical space. Employees need space to think about their tasks and, equally, time to disconnect. Studies have shown our brains work best in short bursts; they’re like sprinters, not marathon runners. Therefore, work breaks should be seen as 'expected' rather than 'allowed,' and holidays should be considered business as usual, not an inconvenience. As for physical space, a pleasant work environment equipped with everything needed to perform tasks effectively is crucial.

Walking the Talk: Leadership’s Role in Workplace Wellness

Getting these aspects right can significantly improve the mental health and stress levels of your team. Each element supports the others, and when combined, they create a synergy that’s more impactful than any one factor alone.

Leading by example is crucial. Leaders must match their words with actions, model healthy workplace behaviours, and be seen taking breaks to give employees permission to do the same. While wellness initiatives can be valuable, they must be accompanied by supportive leadership behaviours. It can’t just be about adding a new scheme; it’s about creating a culture.

This might seem surprising coming from a company that designs workplace wellbeing products to support employee wellness. But we’re committed to making it clear that using Luma³ at work should be part of a broader strategy to create space in the day. When used correctly, Luma³ provides a simple, effective way to signal to the team, “Hey, we’re giving you five minutes once an hour to decompress, and we want you to use it.” It’s about putting action behind words.

Where to Start?

So, how do you begin? For leaders, a self-audit of workplace culture is a good first step. If you’re part of a team, take initiative where you can, even if the company doesn’t have a formal strategy in place. Small, consistent actions over time can transform culture, and everyone in the organisation has a role to play.

Cart 0

Your cart is currently empty.

Start Shopping