Over the past twenty years, I’ve worked with leaders and management teams across different sectors to build more effective and collaborative organisations. As a leadership and organisational culture specialist, I have seen how the way we work and relate to one another shapes everything. This influences how decisions are made and how people engage with their place of work from the moment they walk through the door each morning. That is why I believe many businesses are standing at a crossroads: they can continue to treat their people as passive consumers of policy, or they can take a different path, one that is rooted in trust, responsibility, and shared purpose.
This is the shift Jon Alexander calls us to make in ‘CITIZENS: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us’, a book that has quickly become essential reading for those of us working at the intersection of people and systems. Jon’s work speaks directly to a growing need in business and society. His message is clear: stop doing things to people or for people and start doing things with people. When we treat individuals as ‘citizens’ who are capable, creative, and ready to contribute, we begin to unlock solutions that were never possible in a top-down culture.
I am thrilled that Jon will be the keynote speaker at this year’s GibSams Wellbeing at Work Conference on 8 May. His presence in Gibraltar is no small thing. As a former brand strategist, Jon helped shape campaigns for some of the biggest names in business. Over time, he saw the limitations of trying to solve big problems through a consumer lens. He stepped away to co-found the New Citizenship Project, and now helps organisations reimagine how they relate to the people they serve. Not as customers, but as active participants.
This is the same philosophy that underpins the workplace wellbeing work we have been doing at GibSams.
From policy to practice
At GibSams, we have spent years supporting businesses in Gibraltar to approach mental health more proactively. Through our Wellbeing Leader Training and Wellbeing at Work Conference series, we equip organisations with the tools to respond not only to individual needs but to create cultures where care and connection are part of the everyday fabric.
What we have learnt is this: policy alone will not change culture. People do.
I have seen this first hand. At one local financial services firm, several employees volunteered to take part in our Wellbeing Leader Training programme. Rather than waiting for the business to act, they began informal check-ins with colleagues and hosted weekly short wellbeing drop-ins. Slowly, conversations that once felt awkward became easier. People felt heard, engaged, and productivity improved. The initiative did not come from the top. It came from within.
At another organisation, we helped embed a team of internal Wellbeing Champions. These were not senior managers or specialists. They were team members from different departments, trained and supported to be a first point of contact for colleagues. Crucially, they were trusted. People came forward who had never spoken up before. The ripple effect was real.
These are not stories of people being given wellbeing. These are stories of people who shape the environments in which they work. They speak to the heart of what Jon Alexander’s ‘The Citizen Story’ ideology is all about.
The need for deeper questions
If we are serious about tackling the root causes of poor mental health in the workplace, we need to ask different questions.
● Who holds the power in your organisation to change things?
● How are you listening to your people, and are you acting on what you hear?
● Are your wellbeing policies and initiatives top-down, or are they co-created?
These questions are not always easy, but they are necessary. The future of wellbeing is not just about fruit baskets, yoga classes, or pizza Friday. It is about culture, connection, and co-creating. It is about how much people feel their actions matter, how they contribute to their environment, and the business as a whole.
As leaders, it is about how prepared we are to trust our people and collaborate with them to do this.
Join the movement
The good news is that change is possible, and it is already happening.
Across our community, more and more businesses are waking up to the idea that mental health is not a nice-to-have, but a central part of organisational health. They are shifting away from reactive approaches and embracing more collaborative ones.
If you want to be part of this shift, I invite you to join us at the GibSams Wellbeing at Work Conference on 8 May 2025 at the Sunborn Hotel. You will hear from Jon Alexander himself and have the opportunity to participate in conversations that challenge, inspire, and equip you to take action. Whether you lead a team, manage a business, or want to influence the culture around you, this event is for you.
We are not here to tick boxes. We are here to transform the way work feels for the people who show up every day.
Let us stop asking what we can do for people and start asking what we can do with them.
By Kerstin Andlaw, Trustee at GibSams and Founder of Thrive As One Consulting. To register for the GibSams Wellbeing at Work Conference and learn more about our workplace initiatives, visit gibsams.gi/wellbeing-at-work-conference.