Why culture change is your most powerful tool for protecting mental health at work. Psychosocial hazards aren’t just about isolated incidents—they’re about patterns. Unreasonable workloads, poor leadership, lack of role clarity, constant change, exclusion, or fear of speaking up.

We often hear “toxic culture” tossed around like a buzzword. But it’s not just a vibe. It’s not just office gossip or personality clashes. A toxic culture is a real workplace risk—with real impacts on mental health, turnover, productivity, and in Australia, even legal and regulatory consequences.

What people leaders in Australia need to know and do, burnout isn’t just a personal issue. It’s a workplace issue. And while there’s more awareness around it now, what happens after burnout is often where things fall apart.

Leaders aren’t expected to fix everything. But they do have the ability to influence how people recover, how safe they feel, and how sustainable the pace of work becomes. This isn’t about being the most inspiring person in the room. It’s about showing up in ways that help people feel steady, supported, and safe enough to reset.

Because healthy leadership starts with self-respect, not self-sacrifice

Leadership often comes with blurred lines—between work and rest, empathy and over-functioning, availability and burnout. Many people leaders are praised for being “always on,” “always available,” and “always saying yes.”