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How to Create the Opposite of a Toxic Workplace (Hint: It's Not Pizza Parties)

Toxic workplace culture is easy to spot. It’s the all-hands meeting that feels like damage control. The Slack channel that’s active 24/7 (including weekends). The burned-out team members who are powering through instead of speaking up. It happens everywhere, and it ain’t good. Work burnout is at an all-time high, and in a time when the last thing we need is more toxicity, we’re seeing it in the workplace more than ever. So what’s the fix?

It’s not free snacks or forced fun. And it’s not getting to leave “early” at 4:30 pm once in a while. 

It’s a work culture where people feel energized, not drained. Trusted, not micromanaged. Connected, but not smothered. A culture that doesn't just look good in newsletters and on LinkedIn, but feels good in real life and supports team collaboration that’s enriching, not exhausting. 

Burnout Isn’t a Buzzword

Burnout isn’t solved by better time management or a day off here and there. It’s systemic. And it comes from the way work is designed.

As Michael Leiter puts it in The Burnout Challenge:

“Burnout is not a problem with people, it’s a problem with the social environment in which people work.”

In other words, it's not you. It's the system.

If people are constantly overloaded, isolated, or unsure of what’s expected of them, no amount of wellness perks or motivational posters will fix it. You have to reimagine how work actually works.

How can you create a healthy workplace?

You don’t need perfection but you do need a place where people:

  • Feel emotionally safe to speak up without fear of reprisals
  • Have autonomy in how they manage their time and tasks
  • Know the mission and how their work contributes to it
  • Collaborate without being tethered to a desk 9-5
  • Recover—mentally and physically—from their workday

It’s about trust. Flexibility. And an actual respect for the boundaries between work and life.

From CEO to Supervisor, Management Sets the Tone 

Culture doesn’t live in an employee handbook. It lives in the everyday decisions leaders make.

If you're in a management role, here are a few ways to build the opposite of a toxic workplace:

  • Model boundaries: Log off on time. Take real vacations. Respect others’ time off.
  • Check in, not check up: Have regular one-on-ones that focus on support, not surveillance.
  • Be transparent: Share context and strategy so your team knows why things are happening, not just what’s expected.
  • Balance workloads: Make sure expectations are realistic and people aren’t quietly drowning.
  • Reward outcomes, not hours: Celebrate results, not arbitrary attendance. Productivity doesn’t need to look like long days and full calendars.
  • Make space for feedback: Regularly ask what’s working and what’s not—and then act on it. Mid-year, whatever that looks like for your team, is a great time for annual reviews!

Management isn’t just about hitting targets. It’s about creating the conditions where people can do great work without burning out.

Where You Work Shapes How You Work

Be honest with yourself - trying to change your culture while crammed into a gray office or scattered across Zoom calls isn’t easy. People feel uninspired, disconnected, and distracted by their surroundings. And that’s where we come in. 

Workbar designs our spaces—and our entire membership model—to support healthier ways of working. That means:

  • On-demand meeting rooms so your team can brainstorm without burnout
  • Quiet zones for heads-down work (without headphones or distractions)
  • Common areas for organic connection that doesn’t feel forced
  • Flexible memberships so your team gets together when it counts—and gets space when they need it
  • Events and Networking that support you and your team in and out of work

Workbar isn’t just a place to work. It’s a tool to build the kind of culture your team actually wants to be part of.

Culture Is a Choice. Make It a Smart One.

You can’t fix burnout with pizza. But you can fight it with trust, intention, and a better work environment—social, structural, and physical. Want to give your team a culture worth staying for?

Let’s make it happen. Book a tour or explore our team memberships today.
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