DETOX

A timely and thoughtful treatise on the value of mental health awareness in the business world.

At the beginning of this work, Pump, a chief financial officer for tech company Plank Ventures, details her own background, which included battles with drug addiction, and she connects her past with her core belief that there’s a stark dichotomy between healthy and toxic workplaces. She effectively points out that the latter is not only unhealthy for employees, but also hurts a company’s bottom line. Her opening chapters tackle insecurity, particularly workplace insecurity, which she defines broadly: “a feeling of danger or vulnerability—a feeling that our mental or physical state is at risk. This feeling may be rooted in a lack of confidence in our abilities, uncertainty about our future, or the perception of threats in our environment.” This is followed by practical and specific advice for leaders and managers on creating a healthier workplace environment; for example, she notes that an employee’s struggles with procrastination could simply be indicative of their discomfort with a task or a project’s demands, which a manager can address. From there, she moves into chapters on toxicity and strategies for creating safe psychological spaces; for instance, she points out that perks, such as an employee game room, may obscure the fact that the company believes in an aggressive workplace atmosphere. From the start of this work, Pump openly acknowledges that she’s not an expert on mental health, but she’s largely successful in showing ways in which leaders can create environments that feel safer for everyone in an organization. Most helpful is Pump’s ability to weave in relevant anecdotes that involve people in positions of power as well as their employees and their difficulties. She also offers clear directions in sections titled “Why This Matters to You,” which keep the work grounded in helpful pragmatism.

A useful guide for managers invested in creating better spaces for their workers.