3 Ways to Create a Work Culture That Brings Out the Best in Employees

Do you remember when 20,000 Google employees walked out in protest?

It was dramatic, headline-grabbing, and it sent a clear signal: we will no longer check our identities and values at the workplace door.

But it was also the exception.

Most people don’t feel safe enough—or secure enough—to protest publicly. They worry about retaliation. They worry about being labeled “difficult.” They worry they can’t afford to lose their job.

So instead of a walkout, they choose something quieter.

They check out.

Not with their feet, but with their hearts, hands, and voices.

In corporate language, they become disengaged—or actively disengaged—joining the majority of the workforce in a pattern that costs the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

If you’re a leader and you want to avoid both walkouts and checkouts, you don’t need slogans.

You need a culture that makes it safe to speak up—and worthwhile to stay engaged.

Here are three practical moves that create that kind of workplace.

1) Unblock Communication

Walkouts and checkouts happen when people feel:

• They’re not being heard
• They’re not being respected
• They’re not being considered

When someone’s ideas are shut down or ignored, it’s not just frustrating—it often lands as an identity threat.

Some people respond by getting louder.

Most respond by getting quieter.

They stop volunteering ideas. They stop challenging assumptions. They stop caring as much about the work or the people around them.

A story from a new manager captures how common this is: they asked a colleague with decades of experience for a recommendation on a problem the colleague had raised.

After a long silence, the colleague looked up and said:

“I have never been asked what I think at work before now.”

That’s not only tragic—it’s a warning sign.

Make “speaking up” a normal muscle

If the first time you invite input is during a crisis, people won’t trust it. Instead:

• Ask for opinions routinely, not just when you need cover
• Invite dissent early, when decisions are still shapeable
• Reward candor with curiosity, not punishment

When Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai responded to the walkout, he didn’t get defensive. He acknowledged anger and disappointment and committed to progress.

That kind of response matters because it signals that values-driven speech won’t be penalized.

But there’s an even harder challenge than walkouts.

Checkouts are invisible.

So managers have to proactively unblock the organization:

• Ask questions
• Invite input
• Foster creative conflict

And when someone takes the risk to challenge you, treat that moment like the fragile gift it is.

2) Become Responsive

Unblocking communication is necessary.

It’s not sufficient.

Because words without action breed cynicism.

People don’t escalate to walkouts as a first step. They do it as a last resort—after talking to managers, HR, and peers, and concluding that nothing changes.

A supportive email can open the door.

But if action doesn’t follow, the door eventually closes again.

The leadership test: what happens after you listen?

To become responsive:

• Close the loop publicly: “Here’s what we heard.”
• Be explicit about decisions: “Here’s what we’re doing—and why.”
• Name constraints honestly: “Here’s what we can’t do right now.”
• Set a follow-up date: “We’ll revisit this on ___.”

Sometimes employee activists will raise issues leadership doesn’t agree with.

In that moment, you determine what kind of culture you have:

• Will you engage in dialogue and debate?
• Can you stay unified even in dissent?
• Or will you paper over differences until relationships become inauthentic?

When agreement is hard, there are still better options than checking out.

You can:

• Leave for an employer whose values align with yours
• Stay and compartmentalize, hoping to readdress later
• Or take the third path: disagree and commit

Jeff Bezos describes this as: “I know we don’t agree, but will you gamble with me on it?”

If the reservoir of trust is deep enough, teams can move forward while continuing to work the issue.

Any of these paths beats disengagement—the surest route to organizational decline and personal misery.

3) Aim Higher

Avoiding checkouts is a low bar.

A great culture doesn’t just prevent disengagement.

It invites people to bring their whole selves to work—because the lived experiences people carry are a source of insight, innovation, and market understanding.

A powerful example comes from Disney.

A finance director (and mother) named Joan had a son with dyslexia. She knew that small changes—wider spacing, different fonts, clearer line rules—can make reading dramatically easier.

When Disney launched an internal contest for impactful business ideas, she brought that part of her life into the room.

And because she was invited to show up fully, Disney could better serve millions of people with dyslexia—a huge population and a meaningful market.

When people are more than their resumes, organizations become more than their org charts.

Where to Start: One Question for Monday Morning

If you want a practical starting point, run this simple test.

On Monday, after some pleasant chitchat, ask 10 different people:

“What don’t we talk about around here that we really should be talking about?”

Expect awkward silences.

That’s okay.

If they pause, say:

• “Come to me later.”
• “Tell me what you find.”

If nobody can think of anything, your organization might be blocked.

But by asking the question, you’ve already signaled openness.

Keep going.

Because success doesn’t mean you have no problems—it means you have better problems.

Unblock communication.

Become responsive.

Aim higher.

And over time, your “better problem” will be learning how to harness the energy, ideas, and unique offerings of people who finally feel safe—and inspired—to bring their best.