Leadership Archives

Navigating a Politicised Workplace

Remember when workplace conflict was mostly about who forgot to load the dishwasher in the staff kitchen, or whose lunch mysteriously disappeared from the fridge? Those were simpler times!

Today, the real flashpoints are much bigger. Social movements, political debates, climate activism, global conflicts, you name it, it’s all seeping into the workplace. And honestly, that’s not surprising. Employees don’t leave their values, opinions, or social media feeds at the office door.

For business owners and people leaders, this means the next frontier of leadership isn’t just managing performance reviews and pulse checks. It’s helping your organisation navigate polarisation, activism, and deeply personal conversations without imploding.

The New Reality: Workplaces as Microcosms of Society

The workplace has always reflected the world around it, but now it’s amplified. Employees expect their employers to take stances on issues like sustainability, diversity, or human rights. When organisations stay silent, it can be just as damaging as saying the “wrong” thing.

The challenge? Every stance you take risks pleasing one group and alienating another. It’s a tightrope walk that can leave leaders feeling paralysed about what to say or do.

Leaders who respond thoughtfully, with clarity and consistency, protect not only their reputation but also their culture. And that starts with clear frameworks for how sensitive topics are approached inside your business.

HR’s Expanding Role (and Why Business Leaders Should Care!)

Business owners often look to HR to juggle recruitment, retention, engagement, and compliance. But today, HR also needs to help set the tone for how people behave when personal beliefs and professional boundaries collide.

Here’s how leaders can bring calm and clarity to the storm.

1. Write the Rulebook Before the Fire Starts

Having clear policies and guidelines on how your company approaches sensitive or political issues is essential. Think of them as your “crisis playbook.”

Start with strong foundations: employee handbooks, values statements, codes of conduct, policies and health and safety manuals that are all actually lived, not just filed away. These documents should set out expectations for respectful communication, what good likes like around here, and clarify what kinds of conversations are appropriate for work.

When you have clear, up-to-date policies, it’s much easier to address issues early and fairly. Without them, personal thoughts and opinions kick-in and reputational fires start quickly and are much harder to put out.

If you’re not sure where to begin, our team at Spice can review or build your workplace policies, handbooks and health and safety frameworks so they’re practical, current, and aligned with your culture, values and business vision and strategy.

2. Lead Through Your Values, Not the Headlines

When tensions rise, your company values should act as the compass. Instead of encouraging open debate on polarising topics, which often ends badly, anchor discussions in what your organisation stands for.

For example, if one of your values is Respect, then the conversation shifts from who’s right to how we treat each other.

Encourage leaders to redirect discussions toward shared goals and behaviour expectations. It’s perfectly acceptable to say, “We respect everyone’s right to their personal views, but this isn’t a workplace discussion.”

At Spice, we often help businesses clarify and embed their values through leadership workshops and culture frameworks so those guiding principles are more than words on a wall.

3. Stay Neutral, Stay Supportive

Leaders don’t need to referee every conversation, but they do need to set the tone. Model calm, neutral behaviour, and avoid public alignment with any particular side of a contentious issue unless it’s clearly relevant to your company’s purpose.

Support employees by ensuring everyone has access to the same information and is treated fairly, regardless of their personal stance. Regular 1:1s, check-ins, and engagement surveys can help you spot early signs of division or discomfort before they turn into bigger problems.

Spice’s Extended DISC and leadership capability workshops are great tools for helping teams understand different communication styles, build empathy, and keep interactions constructive.

4. Guide Corporate Activism Thoughtfully

When employees expect their company to take a stand on social or political issues, resist the urge to jump on every trending hashtag. Instead, take a step back and ask:

Does this align with our purpose, vision, and values?
Is this issue relevant to our business or industry?
How will this stance affect our people, customers, and brand?

HR and leadership should work together to weigh the risks and communicate clearly about the company’s position. A well-facilitated purpose or strategy session can help clarify where to engage and where to stay neutral.

This is an area where Spice can help you assess alignment and craft a clear communication plan that stays true to your organisation’s identity.

5. Build Cultural Strength Before You Need It

The best way to handle polarisation in the workplace is to build a culture so strong that it naturally absorbs difference rather than being torn apart by it. A positive and engaged culture gives people a shared sense of belonging and purpose, even when opinions differ.

Using the Acentia Culture Excellence Framework as a foundation, Spice can empower leaders to identify what “great” looks like in their own business and set clear expectations for behaviour, communication, and collaboration. This isn’t about slogans on the wall; it’s about creating an environment where people actually live the values every day.

Start by upskilling your leaders. Leadership capability workshops help managers build the skills they need to model constructive communication, handle tension calmly, and keep teams focused on shared goals. From there, invest in building uber-capable teams who know how to collaborate across departments and support each other under pressure.

Strong culture also relies on clear and consistent internal communication. When people understand what’s going on and why decisions are made, they’re less likely to fill the gaps with assumptions or frustration. Review your internal processes, check how information flows across the business, and make sure every employee feels informed and valued.

A strong culture is also one that learns continuously. Encourage a mindset of curiosity, improvement, and accountability. When your people are confident in how they work together, they are far more resilient in the face of external noise.

At Spice, our Acentia culture-focused workshops are designed to help you strengthen every part of this foundation. From defining your purpose, vision, and strategy, to assessing alignment with your values and embedding them through your leadership and people practices, we can help you create a culture that is ready for whatever comes next.

The Bottom Line

Like it or not, politics and social issues are now part of the workplace landscape. Leaders can’t wish them away, but they can create boundaries, reinforce their values, and guide teams through the noise with confidence and fairness.

The truth is, companies that handle polarisation well will earn loyalty, attract the right talent, and build a stronger culture. Those that don’t risk internal division, disengagement, and potentially online backlash.

Add Spice

At Spice, we know that navigating polarisation isn’t easy. From crafting policies and employee handbooks to coaching leaders, designing culture frameworks, running engagement programmes, and delivering people strategy workshops, we’re here to help you lead through complexity with confidence and clarity.

Want to strengthen your culture and leadership in challenging times? Just add Spice! Reach out today.

Wellbeing: The New Team Sport

Once upon a time, “wellbeing at work” meant a dusty fruit bowl in the kitchen, a yoga poster in the hallway, and maybe a resilience workshop after a stressful quarter. Cute, but not cutting it anymore.

Today, wellbeing isn’t a side project, it’s core business. It’s the difference between a team that thrives and one that barely survives on caffeine and coping mechanisms.
And here’s the kicker: it’s no longer just HR’s job to care!

Wellbeing: The New Team Sport

In 2025, the smartest organisations are realising that wellbeing can’t live in the HR folder, it needs a seat at the board table, the leadership retreat, and yes, even in the Monday morning team huddle.

According to Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report, New Zealand ranks among the top 10 countries for daily stress, with 43% of Kiwi workers feeling stressed most of the day. At the same time, the Southern Cross’s 2024 Workplace Wellbeing Index shows that 89% of employees find it important to work for a company that supports the health and wellbeing of their staff.

Those statistics paint a clear picture: stress levels are high, and the appetite for change is real. But wellbeing isn’t solved with perks, it’s built on trust, empathy, and shared accountability. When everyone, from the CEO to the intern, understands that wellbeing is a collective responsibility, the culture shifts from “ticking the box” to truly taking care.

So, if your people look like they’ve been running a marathon in slow motion, it might be time to rethink your approach.

Leaders, Grab Your Capes (You’re Part of This Too!)

HR can build frameworks, policies, and programmes, but it’s managers and leaders who bring wellbeing to life day-to-day. From balancing workloads to creating psychological safety, wellbeing is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s leadership currency.

The data backs it up: 70% of the variance in team engagement is driven by the manager’s behaviour and leadership style (Gallup, 2024) . In other words, a team’s wellbeing often rises, or falls, with its leader. That’s why emotionally intelligent leadership has become the new competitive edge.

At Spice, our Acentia Leadership Capability Workshops help leaders build that emotional muscle, learning to recognise burnout before it bites, manage conflict constructively, and create cultures where people can do their best work without sacrificing their wellbeing. Because let’s be honest, “work-life balance” might be a myth, but work-life harmony is absolutely achievable with the right leadership.

A leader who checks in regularly, actively listens, and models healthy behaviour sends a powerful signal: wellbeing isn’t performative, it’s personal.

Moving From “Crisis Management” to “Care Management”

For too long, wellbeing has been reactive. Someone burns out, takes leave, and only then do systems kick into gear. But the modern workplace demands a proactive wellbeing mindset, one that prevents issues rather than patches them up.

Leading employers are shifting from “crisis management” to “care management,” embedding wellbeing into every stage of the employee experience, from onboarding to professional development.

That’s where Spice’s Induction and Training Programmes, Individual Development Plans and Extended DISC ® workshops shine. By helping employees set clear goals, identify stress triggers, and understand their own working styles, we lay the foundation for sustainable performance from day one.

And while policies and Health & Safety Manuals used to focus on physical risks, the conversation has evolved. Psychological safety, the freedom to speak up, fail safely, and ask for help, is now recognised as just as critical to performance as any physical safeguard. At Spice, we help tailor those frameworks to ensure they’re not just compliant, but genuinely human-centred.

Measuring What Matters

Here’s where it gets spicy: wellbeing and performance are now inseparable. According to Southern Cross’s Healthy Futures 2024 report, nearly 9 in 10 New Zealanders agree that businesses and employees flourish when wellbeing is prioritised. That’s not a “feel-good” metric, it’s a business case.

But wellbeing can’t be managed by guesswork. Regular pulse checks, engagement surveys, and transparent communication are essential for keeping a real-time view of how people are coping and connecting.

Spice’s Engagement Surveys and Analysis provide that clarity, highlighting not just satisfaction levels, but the deeper insights around connection, motivation, and workload balance.

Combine that with Extended DISC® Team Collaboration Workshops, and you uncover the “how” behind wellbeing: how people communicate, collaborate, and respond under pressure. It’s about transforming tension into teamwork and friction into flow.

Because when people understand each other, stress decreases, empathy increases, and performance follows.

Wellbeing as a Strategic Advantage

Here’s the shift: wellbeing isn’t fluffy, it’s profitable. It drives retention, reduces absenteeism, fuels creativity, and strengthens your employer brand. According to Deloitte’s global research, organisations that actively cultivate a wellbeing-focused culture see measurable gains in both performance and engagement, demonstrating that investing in wellbeing is not just good ethics, but good economics. When wellbeing becomes part of daily operations, employees are more loyal, resilient, and productive.

Embedding wellbeing into your Purpose, Vision, and Strategy (another Acentia specialty) transforms it from a cost centre into a growth driver. It signals to employees that their health, happiness, and humanity are part of the business equation, not outside it.

When wellbeing becomes a shared accountability, it creates a ripple effect: engaged leaders create empowered teams, who in turn build loyal customers. That’s when wellbeing stops being a line item, and becomes a strategic advantage.

Add Spice

At Spice, we believe thriving workplaces aren’t built on policies, they’re built on people who feel seen, supported, and energised.

From leadership development and engagement surveys to health and safety frameworks that include psychological wellbeing, we help businesses turn good intentions into lasting impact.

If you’re ready to make wellbeing everyone’s responsibility (without losing your sense of humour in the process), let’s talk.

Add Spice to your people strategy, because healthy teams make for happy, high-performing ones.

7 Top Tips For Creating A Thriving Workplace Environment

Workplace culture is instrumental to a successful business, so why not commit to fostering a culture of excellence at your workplace?

Last month, we began looking at what good workplace culture looks like and why it matters – if you missed that article, you can read it here.

This month, we are exploring practical strategies for how you can foster a thriving work environment at your workplace.

We like to think of workplace culture as your organisation’s signature dish—you need to add the right mix of ingredients, conduct ongoing taste tests, and add a little heat to bring out the best flavours!

So, here are our top tips for crafting a workplace environment that’s as satisfying as a perfectly seasoned meal!

7 Top Tips For Creating A Thriving Workplace Culture

1. Define Your Culture Clearly

If you don’t take the time to define your workplace culture, it will just go right ahead and define itself. Unfortunately, if that happens, it might not define itself in the way you want!

Your culture should align with your company’s mission, vision, and values. That way, it will represent your business effectively while also creating a consistent and inspiring workplace experience for your team members.

One of the easiest ways to clearly define your culture is to develop a culture statement or manifesto that outlines your company’s core values and mission. Once the statement is established (hopefully with team input!), make sure it’s communicated in everything you do. There are plenty of opportunities to do this – through team meetings, internal newsletters, reward and recognition, right through to visual reminders around the workplace.

Encourage your leaders to reinforce these values through their behaviours and decision-making, that way there is a flow-down effect from the top of your organisation to the team members below.

2. Leadership Sets the Tone

Just like a head chef in a bustling kitchen, leaders set the tone for a workplace environment. Let’s just get it out there, you don’t want to emulate a Gordon Ramsey-style, Hell’s Kitchen situation!

Rather, you want a positive environment that everyone enjoys working in. Remind your leaders that their behaviours, decisions, and communication style influence every aspect of the business. If they are able to model behaviours that align with your company values, it fosters trust in the business and creates a respectful work environment, all key elements for a strong culture.

The way to do this is to equip your leaders with the skills they need to lead with confidence. Leadership development programs are always a great investment for any organisation. They empower your key people with strategies to lead effectively.

That empowerment can filter throughout your whole workplace by having your leaders Role model ‘what good looks like’. Not only does this foster a good culture, but it also helps to reinforce a strong and trusted leadership presence. Build on that by having your leaders engage in regular one-on-one check-ins with their teams ideally quarterly or monthly to provide guidance, support, and feedback.

3. Focus On Employee Wellbeing

A supportive culture isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential! So, employee wellbeing should be a big priority for any business. Employees thrive in environments that prioritise mental health, reduce stress, and encourage work-life balance.

When your team feel valued and supported, they’re more engaged, motivated, and productive.

There are plenty of ways you can put the focus on team wellbeing. Some of the most popular methods are to offer a level of flexibility in your team’s work arrangements, utilise wellness programmes such as mindfulness sessions or fitness challenges, and create designated spaces for relaxation and fun in the office. Don’t forget to encourage regular breaks and ensure workloads are manageable.

4. The Power Of Diversity And Inclusion

A truly dynamic and resilient workplace environment embraces diversity and inclusion. Different perspectives spark innovation, enhance problem-solving, and strengthen team collaboration. When employees feel respected and valued for who they are, they bring their best selves to work.

Diversity comes in many forms – it might be generational where you can harness experience and youth, it might be gender, where you can gain different mindsets and perspectives, or it could be cultural where you benefit from multiple influences and backgrounds. Diversity can be a goldmine for your business development and innovation, but only if inclusion is celebrated.

Foster inclusivity by encouraging open communication channels, building an environment where everyone feels welcome, valued and heard, celebrating various cultural events where appropriate, and ensuring your recruitment practices encourage diverse talent.

5. Recruitment & Retention

High performers don’t just want to work for a paycheck. They want to work for a business and a workplace culture they believe in. A strong culture can help you attract top talent, reduce staff turnover, and create a true sense of belonging for your team members. People who feel connected to their workplace culture are more likely to stay and contribute meaningfully to the company’s success.

You can start displaying your culture from the very first interaction people have with your business. Highlight it during the recruitment process by providing a clear insight into your values, mission and team dynamics. But don’t just stop there – follow it up with an engaging onboarding experience that reinforces company values from day one.

6. Encourage Feedback and Collaboration

Great cultures are built on open communication. Your people need to feel heard, valued, and empowered to contribute ideas – some of the best ideas come from those on the ground! Creating a workplace where feedback flows freely is paramount. This communication should flow through all levels of the business so that even the most junior employees feel heard.

By involving each and every member of your team in open conversations, you will foster trust and encourage innovation.

Communication is a vast area of business. So, you want to make sure you cover all your bases. Some ways to do this would be to set up regular opportunities for feedback via meetings and catch-ups, anonymous employee engagement surveys, open-door policies, or even team brainstorming sessions.

You may even find it useful to draw on the power of technology and use collaboration tools like Slack, Trello, or Miro to encourage open communication and project transparency.

7. Commit To Continuous Improvement

Workplace culture isn’t a one-and-done project—it’s an ongoing journey. That’s why you need to commit to continuous tweaks and improvements. You can do this by regularly assessing, gathering feedback, and making adjustments to keep your culture strong and relevant. As your business evolves, your culture should too!

Conduct culture pulse checks by gathering insights from team members at different levels of your business to discover what’s working and what needs improvement. You can also use team meetings and discussions to ensure ongoing alignment with your company values and goals.

Invest In Your Workplace Environment

Investing in workplace culture is like perfecting a recipe—it takes time, effort, and the right ingredients. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone!

At Spice, we’re passionate about helping businesses create thriving workplace cultures with our Acentia-accredited workshops. These workshops are designed to give your workplace culture the perfect balance of personality and substance. Whether you need to refine your company’s vision, strengthen leadership skills, build high-performing teams, or enhance internal communication, we’ve got a workshop for you!

The interactive sessions provide practical strategies, real-world insights, and actionable steps to create a workplace culture that’s engaging, inclusive, and resilient. Think of them as the secret ingredient to making your business thrive!

Ready to create the ideal workplace environment? Give us a call today, and let’s start crafting the perfect blend for your business!

Workplace Culture: The Secret Ingredient to Business Success!

Workplace culture is one of those terms you hear all the time. Everyone knows that a successful business has a strong workplace culture.

It’s not just a buzzword, we promise!

At Spice, we believe a great workplace culture is essential to a thriving business. It creates an environment where people feel valued, motivated, and aligned with your company’s goals.

But what exactly is workplace culture, and why does it matter? Let’s dive in!

What Is Workplace Culture?

When a term is used frequently, it can start to lose meaning. So, let’s clarify what we mean by workplace culture.

Think of it as the ‘personality’ of your business. It’s a combination of values, behaviours, and everyday practices that influence how your team functions. It shapes how they interact with each other, your clients, and stakeholders, how they make decisions, and how they approach their work.

Your workplace culture impacts everything from daily routines to long-term strategies. Whether it’s how you celebrate wins, tackle challenges, or support one another, your culture defines the experience of working in your organisation.

The Key Elements of Workplace Culture

A great workplace culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s created with intention. Like a well-balanced organisation, it needs the right elements to function effectively. These include:

Leadership style – The way your leaders communicate and make decisions can influence the tone and vibe of the whole operation.
Communication practices – Maintaining open, honest, and respectful dialogue encourages everyone in the business to feel valued and respected.
Mission and values – People love working for businesses that align with their own values. Make sure your guiding principles are clear and reflected in everyday behaviour.
Company policies – Transparent and fair policies ensure everyone understands ‘how things are done around here.’
Workplace environment – Every aspect of your environment should be considered – from physical space to remote work flexibility, and don’t forget the team building aspect!

Every interaction, from team meetings to casual coffee chats, contributes to your workplace culture. It’s all about balance!

A Flavour for Every Business

No two businesses have the same workplace culture. Each one is unique, shaped by its people, goals, and industry. It’s about choosing what works best for your structure, your people and what you’re trying to achieve.

Here are a few common workplace culture types:

Collaborative Culture – Teamwork and inclusivity are at the heart of decision-making in a collaborative culture. Employees are encouraged to share ideas, work together, and support one another. This culture fosters open communication, mutual respect, and a strong sense of belonging. It’s great for creative industries and teams who work well together.
Hierarchical Culture – A structured, top-down approach with clear roles and expectations sets a professional tone. This type of structure clearly defines employee expectations and who is responsible for which tasks. It takes a layered approach where each layer has a specific role and function.
Innovative Culture – Encourages creativity, risk-taking, and out-of-the-box thinking. Fast-paced industries can benefit from an innovative culture as it allows your team to experiment, develop new ideas, and challenge traditional approaches by striving for effective change and continuous improvement.
Results-Driven Culture – If you have a team of high achievers, this may be the right approach. Focusing on goals and achieving success, your employees are motivated by clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and incentives. With clear goals to work towards, the entire team is always striving for great results for themselves and the business.
Customer-Centric Culture – Some service businesses can benefit from a culture that prioritises delivering exceptional service and exceeding customer expectations. By considering the customer’s needs, your business creates an experience that builds customer loyalty and trust.

Understanding your workplace culture helps you fine-tune it to align with your business goals and values. If you’re unsure what culture best suits your business, give one of us a call!

How Workplace Culture Impacts Performance

A strong, positive culture keeps people coming back for more! It makes your workplace somewhere your team want to return to every day.

A thriving culture:

Boosts employee engagement and job satisfaction
Improves employee retention and attendance
Enhances productivity, collaboration, and innovation
Strengthens morale, creating a workplace where people feel valued and motivated
Attracts top talent—everyone wants a taste of a great workplace!

Fostering a positive work culture can help to prevent issues like burnout, disengagement, and high turnover. Purposeful investment in your culture can make all the difference!

Crafting and Evolving Your Culture

Workplace culture isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a strategic advantage. But how do you create the right culture for your organisation?

Building a great culture takes time, effort, and intentional leadership. It starts at the top and trickles down through every level of the business.

Leaders play a crucial role in shaping and evolving culture by:

Modelling desired behaviours – When leaders and key team members walk the talk, it sets expectations and the right example for the team.
Reinforcing values – Business values should be present in everything that you do. Incorporate them into your daily routines and behaviours and celebrate team members that demonstrate them.
Promoting inclusivity – People perform better when they feel like they belong. Spend time creating an environment where everyone feels respected and heard.
Assessing and adapting – Culture is not a set-and-forget kind of thing! Regularly check in to ensure your cultural practices align with your business goals and the needs of your employees.

Investing in workplace culture isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’. Instead, it’s a smart business strategy! A positive culture fuels productivity, fosters innovation, and creates an environment where your team can thrive. The result? A stronger, more successful business.

Let’s Build Your Workplace Culture Together!

Want to take your workplace culture from bland to brilliant?

Here at Spice, we’re all about helping businesses like yours build an amazing culture. We are proud to be licensed and accredited to deliver the Acentia ‘Workplace Culture Excellence Framework’, a proven approach to developing and sustaining a strong workplace culture.

This framework simplifies workplace culture development into clear, actionable steps. Through workshops covering the thirteen key elements that influence workplace culture, we help businesses design practical strategies for continuous growth.

Backed by this powerful framework, the Spice team has the expertise to help your culture thrive! Let’s chat—give us a call today!

Interested in exploring workplace culture further?

Then, check out Part 2 of our workplace culture series, where we detail some tactics and strategies for creating a thriving workplace environment in your organisation.

Read it here.