If we truly want healthier teams and human-centered cultures, we need to start by believing people when they say they’re not okay

15 Jul If we truly want healthier teams and human-centered cultures, we need to start by believing people when they say they’re not okay

A thought that’s been sitting with me lately…

Someone recently shared a story about being on leave and how others began questioning whether they really needed it based on the things they were doing while away.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard something like this. And I imagine it won’t be the last.

But it made me pause. Because this kind of quiet judgment, even when unspoken, carries weight.

We often assume that leave means someone should be home, still, hidden from view. But rest, recovery, and healing look different for everyone — especially in the midst of a difficult season.

Chances are, if an employee is on an extended sick leave, it’s not a decision they’ve taken lightly. A doctor’s note was likely provided — not to satisfy curiosity, but to formally support a period of rest and recovery. What they may not have shared with you, they have likely shared with their healthcare provider — someone who deemed the leave necessary for their overall wellbeing. That alone should be enough to warrant our respect.

So when that’s not enough — when this type of thinking quietly creeps in, questioning someone’s leave, their symptoms, their choices while away — it reflects an outdated mindset. One that overlooks mental health, invisible illnesses, burnout, and the complex realities people carry.

What’s worse is when that mindset doesn’t stay quiet … when it starts to spread.

When judgment begins to circulate among staff and eventually reaches the person it targets, it breaks trust. It turns someone’s personal situation into workplace gossip. It undermines psychological safety. And it sends a damaging message: 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀.

Now, an already difficult time is being made more difficult as a result, adding unnecessary stress when support is what’s truly needed.

That’s not the kind of culture we need today.

𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.

We don’t need more judgment.
We need more grace.
More space to be human.

And truthfully, it’s disappointing that this still happens.

Disappointing that in 2025, some are still met with doubt instead of care. That the default reaction is suspicion instead of support. That someone’s pain is debated rather than respected.

We can — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 — expect better from our workplaces, our leaders, and from each other.

Because if we truly want healthier teams and human-centered cultures, we need to start by believing people when they say they’re not okay.