It seems like there is a new buzzword each month as we all try and make sense of the rapidly changing world we are in—“wellbeing washing” may be the latest.

Wellbeing washing is when a company emphasizes appearing to be focussed on wellbeing in a way that enhances their PR profile externally while ignoring how employees are actually feeling internally. Toxic practices, limited resources, and a lack of psychological safety can mean that the reality of a teams’ culture vastly differs from what an organization advertises. Unfortunately, workers sometimes need to ignore the wellbeing awards being won, the strategies being flaunted, and the faux-vulnerabilities being displayed by leaders.

As a global mental health consultant, I’m seeing wellbeing washing play out in a variety of ways. For instance, there’s a difference between wellbeing washing and being at the beginning of your wellbeing journey. If you’re in early stages, you may be experimenting with different initiatives and learning about what works well in your industry and for your team. You won’t get it right the whole time but your aim should be to build your strategy and internal culture as well as your external wellbeing profile.  Wellbeing washing on the other hand is toxic, and a concerted effort to show off the bells and whistles of benefits, resources, and apps while leaders behind the scenes mock wellbeing as fluffy and fail to invest the funds or faith in systems and practices that create actual change.

If you feel resentment about what’s being shouted at from the rooftops versus how you feel day to day, you may be experiencing wellbeing washing. Here are three things you can do to stop it.

 1. TRY AND CHANGE THINGS FROM WITHIN

Sometimes, with all the reactivity and change going on in organizations today, many don’t see clearly what path they are on—or understand how wellbeing is intrinsic to performance, talent retention, and the success of the business. If ignorance is to blame, internal activism and changing things from within may still be possible. Connect with the people you can partner with. For instance, your diversity and inclusion network, wellbeing champions, or HR teams can help you raise concerns about what you think you’re seeing in the culture. Then, as an aligned group, you can come to the conversation solution-focussed and prepared to offer to support initiatives that can enable small steps to building a mentally health culture.

2. PRACTICE BRAVERY

If you want to call out and address a system that is failing workers, you should understand the risks you are taking. Speaking out may feel like a great risk to your job security or promotion opportunities. We often use our energy to complain to colleagues or friends before thinking about what’s in our control and what we can do to actually make a difference to the problems we face. But understand that it takes bravery to talk about mental health, to lead by example, and to enact real change—rather than just telling other people what’s wrong or what to do. Sometimes, we simply need a collection of brave people to behave differently and show the way. If you want to help fix an organization that is participating in wellbeing washing, I recommend you experiment with being this person. Bravery, and standing up for what is right, is a skill that can be strengthened.

3. REFLECT ON WHAT YOU NEED TO THRIVE

Sometimes you simply can’t change the system in place, and it is more important to find a way to leave a toxic environment. Take some time to reflect on your environment and if wellbeing washing is taking a negative toll on your mental health. If it is, and you’ve tried to change things from within, it might be time to leave. Boost your support networks outside of work and do whatever is in your control to boost your mental health so that you can have the strength to do what you need to do for you.

Rest assured, there are many companies who are focussing on getting wellbeing right. While wellbeing washing is unfortunately common, it can be tempting to think that toxic environments are everywhere like that and you’re simply lucky to have a job—and this is not true.

While I’m not advocating for rash decisions, in my experience, many companies are genuinely trying to get this agenda right. And yes, we’re all at the foothills of innovation when it comes to sustainably balancing wellbeing and success, yet places do exist where you can honestly learn together and thrive at work. It is possible for work to be good for your mental health, not just something you have to recover from afterward.