Leadership: creating a healthy Workplace Culture

I recently started an online conversation series where we diagnose real-world workplace dynamics, the unspoken stories behind policies, pay checks, and performance reviews. This week, we are unpacking a scenario I know many of us have either witnessed… or lived.

Picture this: an employee’s phone rings, and instead of excitement, their chest tightens. Anxiety floods in. Or a WhatsApp notification pops up, and their stomach drops. Why? Because they recognise the sender: the boss. They know that they only hear from her when she is upset, and when she is upset, all hell is about to break loose.

This is not a rare story.
It is a silent epidemic hiding behind office doors, Zoom screens, and Slack threads. Let us explore today’s scenario, its impact, the root cause, the lesson, and, most importantly, the reflection.

The modern workplace has blurred the boundaries between our personal and professional lives.

We carry work in our pockets now, emails, messages, and calls following us everywhere. But when communication from leadership becomes synonymous with criticism, it transforms what should be a neutral tool into a weapon of stress.

In this week’s case, employees describe a boss who only reaches out when something is wrong.

No acknowledgement when targets are met. No “thank you” when deadlines are crushed. No feedback except when fury erupts. Over time, a single notification from her triggers full-body panic. Productivity slows. Engagement drops. Innovation flatlines.

The Impact: Culture by Collision. Workplaces like this create an anxiety-driven culture, where employees operate not out of passion, but survival. They start second-guessing their every move, waiting for the next reprimand. Creativity disappears because people stop taking risks.

Collaboration suffers because everyone is walking on eggshells, trying to stay invisible.

It does not stop at the office door either. Research shows that chronic workplace stress spills into personal life, eroding mental health, straining relationships, and ironically reducing performance.

Employees might remain on payroll, but their hearts have already checked out. Quiet quitting is not rebellion here; it is self-preservation. For leaders, there is an unseen cost, too, high turnover, disengaged teams, and reputational damage. The culture you create determines the loyalty you earn or lose.

Root Cause: Leadership Without Connection. Poor communication is not always about intention; sometimes, it is about blind spots. Many leaders do not realise how their silence in good times and sharpness in crises shape the emotional climate of their teams.

A workplace becomes toxic when leaders forget that people are not just resources; they are relationships. Authority without empathy breeds distance. When the only feedback employees receive is negative, their perception of leadership narrows into distrust and resentment. The reality is, employees rarely leave jobs. They leave managers.

Lesson: Lead the Way You Would Want to Follow. Healthy workplaces require consistent, balanced communication. Recognition, guidance, and constructive feedback should coexist, not compete. A message from the boss should not feel like an alarm bell; it should feel like an open door.

For leaders, the challenge is twofold. Normalise positive engagement. Celebrate wins as loudly as you address challenges. A simple, “I noticed your effort on this project” goes further than you think. Communicate, instead of ambush. Feedback lands best when it is part of an ongoing conversation, not a sudden storm out of nowhere.

Great leaders know that influence is not measured by how loudly they correct, but by how deeply they connect.

Reflection: What Kind of Environment Are We Creating? If you are a leader, pause and ask yourself: Do my employees associate my name with panic… or possibility? Do I communicate only when I am disappointed, or do I create space for trust, encouragement, and transparency?

Would I want to work under me?

If you are an employee living in this reality, please understand that you are not the problem.

Your worth is not defined by one person’s leadership gaps. Seek allies, document your contributions, and when necessary, advocate for the culture you deserve.

Remember, workplaces do not just happen; they are built. Brick by brick, word by word, reaction by reaction; we are either creating environments of fear or foundations of trust.

So, picture this: an employee’s phone rings, and this time, instead of anxiety, their shoulders relax. A small smile tugs at the corner of their lips. They answer, knowing it is their boss, and this time, the message is simple: “Thank you. I see your work, and it matters.”