With companies being held to a higher standard of care, leaders need to move beyond superficial wellness practices.

I was speaking to a founder who waxed eloquently about the great culture he was creating through all the perks his company was providing to its employees, such as free snacks, regular yoga classes, and table tennis tournaments.

Many companies fall into this trap, believing that these bells and whistles help build a great workplace. Sooner or later, cracks start appearing. Unfortunately, initiatives like these don’t make a workplace truly fulfilling.

Employees, especially those from younger generations, are placing greater value than ever on a caring workplace culture. Responding to this sentiment, several organizations have introduced care initiatives like fitness classes, mindfulness workshops, wellness apps, etc. However, if these are simply ad-hoc measures in an otherwise uncaring company culture, then they fall under the umbrella of “carewashing”.

Similar to its cousins, whitewashing and greenwashing, carewashing refers to a superficial adoption of wellness practices at the workplace. It is a façade of caring for employees while failing to address the fundamental aspects of a positive workplace culture. Instead of creating meaningful change for employees, such care initiatives become more of a public relations exercise.

This week, my message focuses on how carewashing backfires by alienating and demotivating employees. What steps can leaders take to create a genuine culture of care in their organization?

Carewashing occurs when there is a gap between rhetoric and reality. Many businesses claim to care: they say the right words and check a few boxes, but things on the ground tell a different story. No steps challenge or meditation class can make up for an unsupportive, toxic or psychologically unsafe work environment.

Workplaces that indulge in carewashing practices score markedly lower on employee engagement, trust and motivation. People show a strong inclination to leave such organizations at the first possible opportunity. Those who remain often become “quiet quitters”, doing only as much as is required to keep their jobs. As the effects ripple outward, we see diminished effectiveness, productivity and performance across the business.

Community of care

A core issue with superficial care initiatives is that they frame wellbeing as an individual pursuit. In fact, a sense of community should ideally be at the heart of workplace wellbeing. Robust psychological health at work springs from feeling connected with our coworkers and supporting each other. The impact extends to physical health as well; did you know loneliness poses health risks as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day?

A feeling of connectedness and belonging forms the foundation of genuine employee wellness and, ultimately, strong organizational performance.

The mechanics of carewashing

"Carewashing can be intentional, a tactic companies use to attract talent and burnish their image without putting in the hard work — or it can be unintentional, resulting from those in charge being unaware of what constitutes a truly caring culture."

Leaders may place excessive emphasis on the optics of wellbeing without the insight or capability to bring this vision to life. When this happens, the substance of wellbeing initiatives clashes with the daily experience of employees. Let’s say a mindfulness workshop hosted by the company counsels employees to create boundaries between work and home in order to protect their energy and be present in the moment. However, bosses continue to send work requests after hours and expect employees to be on call during weekends and vacations. These misaligned messages create stress and cynicism in the team.

During the hiring process, organizations will often talk about how they place a premium on employee wellbeing — a good way to snag coveted candidates. However, once on board, the employee soon discovers that the reality doesn’t live up to the promise. So, while the short-term hiring target is met, we see long-term damage in the form of employee disillusionment, mistrust and disengagement.

The worst form of carewashing is when outspokenly “caring” leaders brush off incidences of ethical breach or harassment. This could be due to self-interest, workplace politics or the misguided goal of “protecting” the brand’s reputation by covering up the problem. In an excellent recent article in the Harvard Business Review on this topic, Maren Gube, Cynthia Mathieu and Debra Sabatini Hennelly explain how this type of carewashing can manifest:

Consider a senior officer who has been publicly celebrated for “making the organization a more caring place.” They seem to care, but when an employee discloses harassment, they use trite phrases like “your well-being is our priority” and offer psychological support “if you need it,” all without explicitly acknowledging any wrongdoing. Even worse is if that feigned concern morphs into intimidation and veiled threats like “we wouldn’t want this to affect your chances of getting promoted.”

The journey from carewashing to caring

When leaders stop lip-service to employee care, they open a pathway to creating a genuinely healthy work culture that supports employee well-being. Authenticity is the key here: it’s how you can turn fiction into fact.

Here are five recommendations to help leaders tackle the problem of carewashing:

1. Make realistic commitments.

Does your organization tend to promise the world — and then fail to follow through? Instead of making tall claims that don’t pan out, focus on a limited number of high-impact care initiatives. Do your homework and select priority areas where you can make a real difference. Focus on following through on existing commitments before moving on to new ones.

2. Solicit honest feedback.

You need input from employees across the ranks to gauge where your culture stands and understand the impact of care initiatives. Regular assessments are a must, emphasising safeguarding respondents’ anonymity and using scientific, evidence-based methods. High-quality feedback will help you uncover what’s working, what isn’t, and what more should be done.

There are times when company surveys will reveal unpleasant realities. In a workplace prone to carewashing, there may be an attempt to embroider the results to render them more palatable. This will only make things worse as employees will soon realise that their legitimate concerns are being pruned to paint a false picture. Leaders must ensure transparency and responsiveness to avoid such a situation.

3. Build a comprehensive care strategy.

We have started seeing a dramatic increase in one-time wellness events, usually conducted with much fanfare. For example, a health screening, a mental health day, and ad-hoc sessions by external vendors like lifestyle coaches, fitness instructors, etc. While these can be nice bonuses for employees, they are usually “quick fixes” selected at random — as opposed to a well-thought-out programme aimed at building wellbeing over the longer term.

Research suggests that companies would do far better by integrating elements of care into their everyday business practices. This means creating a way of working that supports different facets of employee health — physical, mental and social. Another Harvard Business Review piece on this topic gives the following suggestions:

Examples include offering flexible work schedules, giving workers latitude in decision-making, providing social support, enforcing health-promoting policies and establishing a healthy physical environment (healthy food offerings, staircases instead of elevators, walking trails in and outside buildings and treadmill workstations).

It goes without saying that this type of well-rounded approach requires more time, effort and energy. These resources can only be utilized by the relevant departments if leaders demonstrate a willingness to walk the talk when it comes to corporate care.

4. Communicate, communicate.

In so many instances, employees remain unaware of the breadth and scope of wellness-focused benefits offered by their organization. Well-intentioned leaders and HR professionals painstakingly craft thoughtful, empathetic policies, which then vanish into a massive handbook that is rarely read by anyone.

If you have robust care initiatives in place, it’s vital to get the message out. To reduce barriers to participation, focus on the essentials: what the programme entails and its benefits, who is eligible, and how to get involved. Implement a varied, targeted and multi-channel communication strategy to improve awareness.

5. Assess for people skills.

In most corporate setups, decisions around hiring and promotion focus on traditional competences, giving short shrift to people-based values that are key to developing a culture of well-being and integrity. As they say, your company culture is who you hire, fire, and promote. By factoring in skills like listening, empathy, and ethical behaviour, we can embed our stated care values into the fabric of the organization.

As the demand for caring workplaces continues to rise, it’s up to leaders to ensure that their efforts are grounded in a true understanding of what constitutes a safe, healthy and positive workplace environment. Carewashing through superficial wellness initiatives may work as a short-term marketing tool but will ultimately backfire as employees spot the disconnect between the company’s stated values and their daily experiences.

The focus must shift to genuine care and the holistic well-being of employees. More than ever, it is crucial for leaders to recognise that culture goes beyond perks—it’s about fostering an environment where every employee feels respected, valued, and empowered to thrive.