Toxic work culture exists everywhere, not just in Big 4.

Maybe it’s not burnout. Maybe it’s misalignment. We talk about burnout like it’s an individual failing. “YOU'RE exhausted.” “YOU need better boundaries.” “YOU just need a break.” But what if it’s not about the person at all… What if it’s about the system they’re stuck in? People aren’t inherently “burned out.” More often, they’re misaligned, operating in environments that clash with their strengths, communication styles, values, or how they process the world. I’ve seen it countless times: brilliant people questioning their capacity, when the real issue is the context they’re forced to work within. Here’s what’s often overlooked: ▪️ A visionary stuck in a rigid structure will suffocate. ▪️ A process-driven mind in a chaotic, undefined culture will spin out. ▪️ A deep thinker in a constant urgency cycle will burn fast. This isn’t a “you problem.” It’s an environment problem. And when we ignore this, when we fail to hire and build teams with environment-fit in mind, we don’t just lose people… we lose potential. 👉 This is why inclusive, human-centered hiring matters. Not because it’s trendy, but because alignment is what keeps people thriving, not just surviving. You don’t “fix burnout” with another pizza party. You fix it by putting people where they actually belong. #Burnout #Neurodiversity #CognitiveDiversity #LinkTech #Hiring

What Are We Turning Our Workplaces Into? In the race to grow faster, deliver more, and outshine competition, we’ve forgotten one simple truth — people are not machines. Every few weeks, we hear another painful story. A young professional collapsing during a virtual meeting after being shouted at. Another life lost to the silent weight of pressure, humiliation, and exhaustion. We talk endlessly about productivity, performance, and profits, but what about peace, purpose, and people? How did we reach a point where numbers matter more than nervous breakdowns, and deadlines matter more than lives? Behind every spreadsheet is a sleepless night. Behind every ‘target missed’ is someone’s trembling anxiety. Behind every burnout is a story we’ll never fully hear, because by the time we do, it’s often too late. Leadership isn’t about fear or control. It’s about empathy, understanding, and grace. If your team dreads you more than they respect you, you haven’t built a company, you’ve built a trauma centre. To every founder, manager, and HR professional reading this: Your culture isn’t defined by what you post on social media, it’s revealed in how you treat the ones who are most exhausted. Because if it has a heartbeat, it’s not a resource, it’s a human being. #WorkCulture #Leadership #MentalHealth #Empathy #RespectAtWork #PeopleFirst #CorporateLife #Media #StoriesThatShouldMatter #LivesMatter

𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 We've all probably experienced it, seen it or heard about it. That subtle, insidious feeling when you walk into an office (𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹) that just 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆. It's not just "a bad day" it's a toxic work environment, and its impact is far more devastating than many realize. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: • Massive Turnover: Good people don't stay. They 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻, and 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲, costing huge sums in recruitment and training. • Stifled Innovation: Fear trumps creativity. Why suggest new ideas if you'll be shot down, blamed for failure, or ignored? • Eroding Trust: With backbiting, micromanagement, and lack of transparency, trust vanishes internally and with clients. • Reputational Damage: Word spreads. Top talent avoids you, and your employer brand tanks. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳: • 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 & 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: Constant anxiety, sleepless nights, and the feeling of walking on eggshells. Putting in so 𝗠𝘂𝗰𝗵 work yet feeling unnoticed and irrelevant. • 𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 & 𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀: Depression, anxiety, and even physical ailments like high blood pressure become common. • 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 & 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: It's hard to do your best work when you're constantly fighting for survival or just trying to get through the day. • 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹: Talented individuals stop growing, stop contributing their best, and often lose passion for their craft. This isn't just about "feelings." This is about 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, human well-being, and the sustainability of a business. Leaders, managers, colleagues, we all have a role to play in recognizing these 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 and actively 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 to build cultures of 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆, and genuine 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. #WorkCulture #Leadership #EmployeeEngagement #WorkplaceWellness #HumanResources #ToxicWorkEnvironment #PsychologicalSafety #CareerGrowth

Your toxic workplace isn't building character - it's stealing your life. I know that sounds harsh. But I've coached hundreds of professionals who've stayed in toxic environments so long they started believing it was their fault. They tell me things like: "I just need to be tougher." "It's not that bad." "I don't want to abandon my team." Here's the thing - toxic cultures train you to question your own reality. They normalize bad behavior and call it "high standards." They label burnout as "commitment." They mistake fear for leadership. And the longer you stay, the more your nervous system learns to survive, not thrive. It's not weakness to want out. It's wisdom. Because the truth is, toxic workplaces rarely fix themselves. Unless there's a full leadership reset, the system stays the same - it just changes faces. So if you're reading this and whispering to yourself, "Maybe it's me..." It's not. You're not broken for wanting peace. You're not dramatic for setting boundaries. And you're not selfish for protecting your sanity. Leaving isn't quitting - it's self-preservation. Because no paycheck is worth losing your sense of self. Have you ever stayed in a toxic workplace longer than you should have? What finally made you leave? #CareerGrowth #LeadershipWithHeart #FutureOfWork

Hot take coming in here… I'm fired up so if you want a good "DAAAAAAMMMMNNNN" read today from your LI feed… please proceed. I would like to talk about the latest Silicon Valley import that's quietly destroying companies: 9-9-6 culture. For the blissfully uninformed, that's 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week. Seventy-two hours. No life. No boundaries. Just "hustle" cosplaying as virtue. And before you say "that's just tech bro nonsense" — look around. It's already metastasizing into your organization and your friend's real estate company down the street. Here's what the 9-9-6 evangelists won't tell you: This isn't about excellence. It's about extraction. The 9-9-6 culture exists because of three catastrophic leadership failures: 1️⃣ Inability to prioritize — When you can't distinguish between important and urgent, you make everything both. 2️⃣ Unwillingness to invest in systems — Throwing bodies at problems is easier than building efficient processes. 3️⃣ Mistaking exhaustion for loyalty — The person working 70 hours isn't more committed. They're terrified of losing their job, incapable of saying no, or terrible at time management. Here's what actually happens in 9-9-6 cultures: Your best people leave first. Because they have options. What you're left with? People who can't leave yet, people quietly updating LinkedIn, and true believers who've made work their personality—until they burn out completely. If your business model requires 9-9-6 to survive, you don't have a culture problem. You have a business model problem. The new generation has rejected the notion that busyness equals value. They've watched their parents sacrifice everything for companies that laid them off in a Zoom call. And they will not buy the same bill of bullshit. Full unfiltered rant in the comments 👇 #Leadership #Burnout #FutureOfWork #ToxicCulture #TalentRetention

Has workplace stress and toxicity become our new normal? Seems, it is... Often we celebrate promotions and product launches, ..but hardly anyone admits to feeling lost or overwhelmed... ..yet so many of us do, quietly. My feed, Reddit and inbox overflow with stories of folks completely drained by toxic work cultures, managers who confuse “drive” means pressure, and CEOs who praise “grit” but forget compassion. Here’s the hard reality: 👉 31% of workers say stress is a daily companion at work. 👉 Nearly 80% are teetering at the edge of burnout (especially in tech). 👉 Hundreds of thousands lose jobs every year due to mental health way more than from any physical illness. When management ignores wellbeing, creativity evaporates. The most brilliant ideas are buried under fear. The boldest, most passionate people either burn out or quietly walk away. Imagine what we’re actually losing: future leaders, game-changing solutions, economic vitality and much more... But there’s hope. Real, actionable hope!! How? By honest check-ins, empathy over ego, and policies that put people first (no mere HR gimmicks). As someone who mentors and coaches others, I know leadership is about nurturing, not demanding. It’s about winning hearts before you win awards. If you're reading this, perhaps it's time for us all to be a bit more human in the way we lead, hire, and innovate. Let's make work a space where anyone anyone can really belong, grow, flourish and most importantly respected. If this resonates, let’s start a real conversation. How do you think we can make work better together? Your voice matters. Share it here👇 Together, let's redefine what "success" looks like in the modern workplace🤝 #empathy #leadership #difficultconversations #mentalhealth #safespace #letschataboutit #toxicity

🌅 Wake Up Before It’s Too Late In today’s fast-paced corporate world, more and more employees are thinking about resigning not because they want to quit, but because they’re breaking under pressure. 📉 According to a recent economic survey, 83% of employees said they would switch jobs if given the chance to work for something they’re truly passionate about. That tells us something very important it’s not laziness, it’s exhaustion. 💼 Why are employees leaving? Burnout and extreme workload: Endless deadlines, no breaks, and constant pressure. Toxic work culture: Negativity and blame instead of support. Lack of appreciation: Efforts go unnoticed, achievements go uncelebrated. Office politics and favoritism: Hard work is replaced by power games. Unethical behavior and rule-based domination: No space for creativity or trust. No one wants to leave this world or their dreams because of stress. Work should not destroy people it should develop them. 💡 As Elon Musk once said: “If you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work.” So, what can organizations do to bring this change? ✅ Find the root cause — understand what’s truly draining your people. ✅ Listen to the present pulse — take honest employee feedback regularly. ✅ Promote mental well-being — healthy minds create healthy results. ✅ Recognize and reward fairly — appreciation costs nothing but means everything. ✅ Build trust and empathy — replace control with connection. It’s time leaders wake up before it’s too late. A workplace should be a source of growth not burnout.

294/365 Days of Vulnerability: 𝐉𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐲. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Mark Twain We’re told to take risks. To “fail fast” (sorry, but I can't bring myself to put the 'correct' punctuation here, with a full stop inside those curls 😅) To “bring our full selves to work” (ditto) But only certain kinds of risk are celebrated. The spreadsheet kind. The VC-approved kind. The kind that fits neatly into a quarterly deck. Real jeopardy—the kind that comes from speaking an uncomfortable truth, questioning a broken process, or saying no to a toxic culture or client—that’s career suicide. 😵 We glamourise risk but weaponise it selectively. A CEO gambles millions on an acquisition? Visionary. An employee challenges a bad idea in a meeting? Difficult. Companies hold entire offsites on “psychological safety,” but you’ll still see people whispering their real opinions in the padded phone booths and WhatsApp groups. Because in most workplaces, jeopardy isn’t an outcome, it’s a condition. Every email you send, every idea you share, carries a subtle calculation: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲, 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬? The truth is, we’re not afraid of change. We’re afraid of punishment disguised as feedback. ❤️🔥 If you really want innovation, you don’t just fund new projects…you fund courage. You create environments where people don’t have to choose between truth and tenure. Otherwise, all the talk about “bold moves” and “growth mindset” is just another episode of corporate 𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘺—where every answer is wrong if it threatens someone else’s comfort. When was the last time telling the truth at work felt like a risk? Starkeeper Morton Scott Morton Mark McHugh #Innovation #TruthTelling #PsychologicalSafety

Follow-up to my last post. Remember that story about the manager who said, “Okay, now let’s go back to the task list”? Someone I know lived through that kind of culture. They were dedicated, loyal, hardworking — the kind of person who gave everything, even when everything was too much. And instead of recognizing the signs of burnout, the company kept piling on more. More pressure. More expectations. More tasks. Until there was nothing left to give. Burnout hit. Hard. And do you know what happened next? They didn’t support that person. They didn’t check in. They didn’t care. They fired them instead. That’s the part people don’t talk about enough — how some companies create burnout and then punish the people who suffer from it. They call it “underperformance.” I call it what it is — destruction. Because when you ignore exhaustion, when you turn a blind eye to panic, to shaking hands, to sleepless nights — you’re not leading people. You’re breaking them. And the worst part? They’ll replace you by Monday morning and call it “business as usual.” To every leader reading this: If you can’t tell when your team is drowning — or worse, if you can and choose to look away — you are not fit to lead. Empathy isn’t a perk. It’s your duty. And to the company that did this — you should be ashamed. Abonination ! You took a talented, passionate person, drained them until there was nothing left, and then blamed them for collapsing. That’s not management. That’s cruelty dressed in corporate language. No statement, no rebranding, no glossy HR campaign can ever cover the truth: you failed a human being. Companies like that shouldn’t be proud of their results. They should look in the mirror and see the cost of them. #Leadership #MentalHealth #Burnout #Empathy #WorkplaceCulture