When I was 33 weeks into my first pregnancy, my water broke 7 weeks early. In our Seattle living room, my husband and I had just finished watching our beloved St. Louis Cardinals win a playoff game in their bid to get to the World Series. We ditched plans to watch Law and Order and made a beeline for the hospital. The next morning my daughter was delivered by emergency c-section.

She would go on to spend 5 weeks in the hospital where she was monitored for the normal development that should have happened in my womb. When she was eating enough and gaining weight they released her to us. But not before a scare about a potentially lethal condition in her gut called Necrotizing Faciitis, horrifically known as flesh eating bacteria.

When she finally came home, all of the monitors and daily check-ins I had come to rely on to know that she was okay disappeared immediately. I didn’t trust myself to know if she was okay without the data and outside expertise to tell me.

To say I was an overwhelmed new parent is an understatement.

This made me particularly susceptible to the Baby Industrial Complex. They will try to sell anything to overwhelmed, incompetent-feeling new parents with the promise of transforming their babies to angels and them to experts. The more expensive the better.

What I learned over time was that my ability to read her signals, hug her tight and the routine I set was far more important than wipe warmers, socks that don’t come off and the perfect bottle.

As parents do, I reminisce each year as her Birthday rolls around. This year especially, because the Cardinals made the playoffs and my daughter is a high school senior who will fly the coop next year.

It was in this context that I read the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about toxic workplaces and was struck by all of the misdirected ways we spend money to fix dysfunctional workplaces when the most important thing is culture – how we are with one another.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek H. Murthy, last week told Americans for the first time that ,toxic workplaces are bad for their health. Murthy described a toxic workplace as disrespectful, non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat or abusive. He pointed out how long hours, limited autonomy and low wages can affect workers’ health and organizational performance and described what a healthy culture looks like.

I could not have described better what he said about the power thriving organizations can have building a healthier society. Here’s what he said:

“A healthy workforce is the foundation for thriving organizations and healthier communities. As we recover from the worst of the pandemic, we have an opportunity and the power to make workplaces engines for mental health and well-being, and this Surgeon General’s Framework shows us how we can start. It will require organizations to rethink how they protect workers from harm, foster a sense of connection among workers, show workers that they matter, make space for their lives outside work, and support their growth. It will be worth it, because the benefits will accrue for workers and organizations alike.”

Over the last several years, companies have increased their investment in well-being programs and mental health benefits. Most plan to further increase their investment in the coming year. According to NFP’s 2022 U.S. Employer Benefits Survey 66% of companies plan to better support the mental well-being of their employees. Over the next year, more than half of the employers surveyed are planning on increasing those budgets by 5% to 25%. When you consider companies typically spend between $200 and $600 per employee for well-being benefits that’s a sizable investment.

These are important investments, but will scrape the surface if not paired with improvements in culture.

The surgeon general recommends many of the things I have spent years teaching organizations how to do: cultivate trusted relationships, nurture inclusion and belonging, provide autonomy and flexibility, demonstrate that people matter and their ideas are valuable, engage workers in workplace decisions and pay a fair wage with benefits that provide access to quality healthcare.

I am struck by how many of these things don’t require more money, but an emotional investment of time and energy. This social emotional growth can feel much more daunting than paying for a well-being program, a day at a baseball game or a retention bonus. Just like the wipe warmer, swaddle or carrier can feel like the answer to your prayers when your baby screams night after night before bedtime. But many dollars later you are still struggling with the same issues.

Just like solid routines, reading signals and being present to strengthen a bond helped me find my way as a new parent, as a leader and manager I found establishing effective processes, getting to know the members of my team as individuals and being mindful of their motivations and strengths was the best strategy for engagement.

I am convinced that both journeys have made me a better agent for change in this world.

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