Creativity and Workplace Wellbeing: Highlights from our Q2 Educational Intensive
At a recent Wellbeing Think Tank Educational Intensive, Dr. Tasha Golden explored how creativity shapes the way we think about work, wellbeing, and what’s possible within our organizations.
The session challenged our community to reconsider not just what we do to support wellbeing, but how we define it in the first place.
“Do you want your workforce to look like they are productive, or do you want them to be productive?“ - Tasha Golden, PhD.
When Wellbeing Is Defined Too Narrowly
Many workplace strategies focus on reducing burnout, stress, or disengagement. While these are important, the session encouraged a broader perspective.
Participants were asked to reflect on how they personally define wellbeing. The responses quickly expanded beyond traditional workplace measures, highlighting themes like purpose, belonging, self-expression, and the ability to fully engage in life.
This shift reframes the goal. Wellbeing is not just about avoiding negative outcomes, but about creating conditions where people can thrive.
Questioning the Stories We Work Within
A central theme throughout the session was the idea that many workplace norms are not fixed realities, but inherited assumptions.
Beliefs about productivity, performance, and even what counts as “real work” often go unquestioned. Over time, these assumptions shape behavior, decision making, and the effectiveness of wellbeing efforts.
By stepping back and examining these narratives, participants were encouraged to consider what might be possible if those assumptions were reimagined.
When Culture Overrides Good Intentions
The session also highlighted a common challenge that even well-designed wellbeing initiatives can go underutilized.
In many workplaces, employees may hesitate to engage with available resources if they believe it could affect how they are perceived. In these cases, culture quietly reinforces expectations that contradict the intent of the program.
This tension sparked reflection on a key question. Are we designing for wellbeing, or are we reinforcing systems that make it difficult to prioritize?
Community Reflections
Throughout the session, participants engaged in real time reflection, considering how these ideas show up in their own roles and organizations.
Many shared challenges related to shifting leadership mindsets, navigating time constraints, and rethinking long standing approaches to wellbeing. Others reflected on opportunities to approach their work more creatively and collaboratively.
These discussions reinforced that while the challenges are complex, they are also widely shared.
From Insight to Action
Rather than trying to redesign everything at once, start by identifying one assumption in your workplace that feels unquestioned.
What might change if you viewed it not as a fixed constraint, but as something that could be explored differently?
Continuing the Conversation
This session offered a thought provoking look at how creativity, culture, and systems influence workplace wellbeing.
While this recap highlights a few key ideas, the full session includes deeper insights, examples, and guided reflection. Professional and Practitioner members can access recordings of past sessions and continue engaging with these concepts through Wellbeing Think Tank programs and resources.
Wellbeing Think Tank brings together people who care deeply about creating healthier, more human workplaces. Learn how to join our community and stay connected to evidence-based learning and events throughout the year.
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