Rewriting Workplace Wellness: Reimagining a Culture of Support

“Workplace Wellness”. It’s a common catch phrase, but also often an empty one. Boiled down, what does it even mean? While it can feel like a slippery concept, I do know what wellness looks like for Reimagine, and I think it works, so I want to share. 

At Reimagine, “wellness” means celebrating that our team isn’t made up of robots with perfect executive function. It means embracing the fact that we’re a diverse group, with all the quirks, challenges, and needs that come with that diversity. We have team members with ADHD, anxiety, autism, and dyslexia. We have caregivers balancing work with meeting the needs of aging parents, kids, and loved ones. We have people navigating mental health ups and downs, learning differences, different personality structures and preferences and ways of working, not to mention life’s general unpredictable hiccups. And yet, we make it work: not seamlessly, and not with gimmicks, or sympathetic words, but by showing up, with real, intentional support.

How did we create a culture where wellness is about meeting actual needs, not corporate buzzwords or what looks good in a “wellness plan”? We’re the first to admit there’s still space to grow, but where we’ve landed for now is a mix of thoughtful policies, open conversations, and a commitment to making sure no one has to mask or pretend to have it all together. Here are three of Reimagine’s most impactful workplace wellness practices, and how you can use them, too. 

1. Nothing’s off-limits (Yes, even that)

One of the biggest reasons workplace wellness fails is that people are afraid to be honest. We keep it real, with no consequences. Need to move a meeting because your brain isn’t cooperating today? Let’s reschedule. Struggling to process written instructions because of dyslexia? Let’s voice-note it instead. Feeling anxious and need to take a minute or restart the presentation? No one’s going to side-eye you.

The key here isn’t just having an open-door policy. It's making sure people actually feel safe to use it. That means normalizing conversations about mental health, neurodiversity, and caregiving, rather than treating them like uncomfortable side notes or something to pathologize.

2. Build policies that actually meet needs (Not just sound good)

A lot of companies roll out wellness policies that sound great in theory but fall flat in practice. Unlimited mental health days? Cool, but does anyone feel safe actually using them? A “no emails after 6 PM” rule? Nice, but does your boss follow it?

At Reimagine, our goal is to only create policies that are both practical and culturally reinforced. That means:

• Clear, stigma-free mental health support. No “ take a bubble bath” suggestions - real accommodations and flexibility.

• Meetings that don’t suck (time or energy). We prioritize async work, keep meetings short, and make room for different communication styles.

• Support that scales. The tools that help one person (e.g., captioned videos for someone with ADHD and auditory processing challenges) often help everyone.

3. Support the Humans Behind the Employees

Behind every employee is a full, messy, real life. Some of us are juggling kids, medical appointments, or neurodivergent brains that make Mondays extra spicy. At Reimagine Work, we recognize that showing up as your best self at work isn’t just about what happens *at* work—it’s about what’s going on behind the scenes.

That’s why we:

• Acknowledge the caregiving load. Whether it’s a sick kid, an aging parent, or an unexpected crisis, we don’t pretend work exists in a vacuum.

• Encourage self-advocacy. Need an accommodation? Need a break? We want people to ask, not struggle in silence.

• Celebrate different ways of working. Some people thrive in deep-focus time, others need movement breaks. Both are valid.

Join Us: Reimagine Workplace Wellness (For Real)

These aren’t grand, sweeping changes. They’re small shifts that make a real difference. And we want to help more teams take these steps in ways that are practical, sustainable, and human-centered.

That’s why we’re hosting “On The Menu: Workplace Wellness Reimagined” - a 90-minute virtual workshop on Wednesday, April 9. 

We’ll dig into:

- How to foster openness, empathy, and psychological safety.

- Tools that support one but benefit many.

- How to address mental health and neurodiversity without stigma.

If you’re ready to move beyond the buzzwords and start building a well workplace where people actually want to show up, and want to be authentically themselves while they do, join us.