Why is it important to create a workplace where everyone can thrive, and what are the implications for employers and employees when this isn't prioritised? We explored these questions and more in our conversation with Lizzie Benton, a progressive workplace culture coach and the founder of Liberty Mind. Lizzie is dedicated to building purpose-driven company cultures where we can thrive.

In this Q&A session, Lizzie shares practical strategies, discusses challenges, and outlines steps to create an inclusive and vibrant workplace culture. Join us as we look into the future of work culture.

1. Hi Lizzie, please can you share more about your role and why you launched Liberty Mind?

As a culture coach it’s my role to facilitate and support organisations to develop their company culture, to ensure that how they work together is meeting the purpose and goals they set out to achieve. I like to imagine myself as a guide on their journey. I’m never overly prescriptive because each business has different needs, so I’m holistic in my approach. 

I began Liberty Mind with the intention of making work better for everyone, because I see so much potential go to waste in companies where outdated mindsets and ways of working are holding everyone back - business included. 

2. What are the most significant changes you believe are needed in today's workplace culture?

The biggest change needed in today’s workplace culture is the system of work itself. Our obsession with hierarchical ways of working holds companies back from remaining agile and resilient to the challenges of our modern world. 

This is a hard challenge, because this outdated, bureaucratic way of working is so deeply ingrained in our wider culture and our workplace mindsets. We’ve been conditioned since the industrial revolution to work in a top-down system that exerts power over others. 

Companies keep claiming that they want greater creativity, innovation and problem-solving; but few truly create the environment required for those things to flourish. 

3. What role does leadership play in shaping and maintaining a progressive work culture?

Leaders have a huge influence on shaping and maintaining a progressive work culture as their beliefs and behaviours set the standard for everyone else. But ultimately it’s also about them making space for others to step in. 

It’s no longer about leaders having all the answers, and making all the decisions; it’s about making room to create participation. Giving others the ability to make decisions, and co-creating the culture through a collective experience. 

The shift to more progressive ways of working isn’t easy for many leaders, as they believe that by sharing control they’re losing control. But it couldn’t be further from the truth, the more people who take ownership of the company, the safer it is. Leaders have to do their own personal work on sharing control with others. Of course, to some this doesn’t feel good to them because they’re so used to having that level of control and power. For too many it’s become dangerously addictive. 

4. How can organisations effectively address and reduce workplace toxicity?

Workplace toxicity can manifest itself in many different ways, which means there’s no silver bullet to curing it. A first step when the culture is going sour, is to identify the true cause. This can be uncomfortable work for people, which is why it can often be avoided. However, just plastering over the cracks only causes greater problems in the future. If a company is serious about its culture, it will have the courage to address the problems head on. 

5. What are some common barriers to creating a progressive workplace culture, and how can they be overcome?

One of the most common barriers to creating a progressive workplace culture is people’s mindsets towards a new way of working. It can feel so new and different that it just seems impossible. Plus we have to remember all that conditioning and workplace baggage that has made us perfect instruments in the hierarchical system. So even our own beliefs have been shaped to fit the system that’s been created. When I work with teams, this is one of the first places we reflect upon, those layers of workplace conditioning that have led us to where we are today.  

To be honest, this first barrier can be the one where companies decide to do smaller tweaks but not go too far down the path. But that’s also ok, because it’s progress. At least then we have a choice and we know that there are other options. 

Another common barrier is doing too much all at once. We need to start small, and in the context of how work is right now. What I’ve seen countless times is change programmes that are far too overwhelming, and cause more stress because people are trying to “do change” on top of their day-to-day work. That’s why so many of them fail. Experimenting with small changes creates greater momentum and moments of learning. 

6. How can companies support mental health and well-being in their work culture?

Companies need to change the system if they want to change its impact. We need to stop ignoring the blinding fact that how we work is making people ill. No amount of wellbeing initiatives or benefits packages are going to solve the problem. 

The lack of autonomy, the lack of flexibility, the overwork, and the bureaucratic policy pushing; that and much more are the symptoms of a broken system that make people unwell. Functioning in this outdated system of work is survival, so it’s no wonder that so many people are burning out. 

7. What strategies can be implemented to encourage open communication and feedback among employees?

The fundamental way to increase open communication and feedback is to first of all work on your levels of psychological safety. Without this, you can’t have any framework in place to support communication and feedback. 

As detailed in the research of Dr. Amy Edmondson, psychological safety is the belief that if you speak up, about an idea or a mistake, you won’t be shamed, judged or criticised. 

If a company doesn't have this, there’s no way you can work on communication and feedback. 

This element has to be the foundation of everything else you work on within your company culture. Without it, nothing will take hold. 

If a company has strong psychological safety, then it’s over to co-creating the boundaries and rhythms of communication and feedback. For example; how do you give feedback to each other in real-time? 

When I work with teams, we co-create these boundaries together, so it’s unique to every business because it’s what the teams need and feel comfortable with.  

8. How do you see the role of remote work and flexible working arrangements in the future of workplace culture?

The role of remote work and flexible working is simply common sense - it should have been common sense long before a global pandemic. But what can you say, change is painfully slow until a true challenge makes people change. 

Smart companies will fully embrace remote work and flexible working from the beginning, especially as we’re seeing calls from future generations that they are not willing to work in the way we’ve worked for so long. I praise GenZ for that, they are the ones who might just finally revolutionise our archaic ways of working. 

9. What are some practical steps for organisations to take in order to create a better workplace culture? 

I never like to offer up any quick-fix solutions because there are none. But my advice to organisations is to always work with their teams to co-create the culture. Identify what’s not working right now, across the organisation, and work together to create experiments of how you might change something. Take one thing at a time, and learn from your experiment. 

And what I really want to hammer home here, is to talk to teams, don’t just do another employee engagement survey. Create forums, have real conversations, because it’s not until we talk that we realise the real challenges that are stopping people from fulfilling their potential, and for the business to flourish. 

10. Can you share examples of companies that have successfully transformed their workplace culture, and what lessons can be learned from their experiences?

There are some phenomenal examples of companies that are on the journey of evolution. Because that’s what it is. Culture work never stops, it’s about progress over perfection, and always asking; what can we do better? 

To share one example, would be to put an organisation on a pedestal and believe that they’ve reached some kind of holy grail of culture, rather than the reality that every business is on it’s own journey of culture, some are maybe a few steps ahead than others, but they still have their challenges, they’re now just different challenges. 

Some examples I would highly recommend people to research would include. Semco, the manufacturing company that was turned around in the 1980s by Ricardo Semler, who decided to flatten the organisation and increase the decision-making power of teams. 

Or even a more local company such as Mayden, a healthtech company who operate as a flat organisation and have transitioned their managers into team coaches. 

In every industry you can find an example of a progressive organisation who believes there is a better way of doing business. 

As well as working with businesses who are on a journey, I’ve also had the privilege of interviewing them on my podcast, Make it Thrive: The Company Culture Podcast. 

In all areas of my work, there are three lessons that stand out to me. 

The first, is that these organisations don’t wait for the right time to start. There’s never a right time. They have all started at different places in their organisational life, and many wished they had started earlier. You just have to begin. 

The second is that it won’t be a clear journey. Businesses and people are complex, which means even your best made plans can go to ruin. So, having that mindset of curiosity and experimentation is key to learning and adapting as you go.