I’m not one to pass up a good learning opportunity.

Being a workplace culture connoisseur, it will not surprise you that I’ve loved learning from Brewdog with its ambitions to be the ‘best employer in the world’.

This week, claims came out from ex-employees that Brewdog was a cesspool for intensity, mental illness and stress.

‘Toxic cultures’ exist – and I am not here to say whether this is at Brewdog or not. I don’t even drink beer. I can drink a third of a Coors Light in one sitting.

Let’s turn this into a learning opportunity for us all.

Here’s action plan for Brewdog going forward:

(And, if you are shifting uncomfortably thinking ‘Uh-oh, this letter could have come from our employees’ – take note and take action)

1. Swot up on inclusive leadership.

Culture starts and ends with leadership.  Deloitte has done some amazing work on the ‘The six signature traits of inclusive leadership’ which has fifteen elements to it.

As the report says, this is not an ‘aspirational laundry list’ (love this saying!). Check out the ‘What leaders do’ for each trait and get a plan to do them.

2. Regular employee consultation is mandatory.

James, co-founder of Brewdog, has said he is going to kick off a listening exercise with employees, which is great. Keep this going with diversity staff networks, employee committees and staff surveys. Being listened to, and actually heard, is a crucial part of a positive employee experience.

3. Don’t let perks and quirks overshadow the basics.

Media-worthy ‘employee benefits’ should never take the place of considered and well-implemented HR policies and inclusion action plans. A ball-pool and Friday’s off are nice to have – as long as you feel well enough to be at work.

4. Train all managers in conversations about adjustments and mental health.

Managers need to, now more than ever, proactively ask about how their employees are and if they need any adjustments. This requires time and training investment. It’s worth it.

Every resource you’ll ever need can be found at MentalHealthAtWork website.

5.  Make equality and inclusion a priority.

Let’s get those HR policies reviewed. Let’s get an equality policy. Let’s consider working patterns. Let’s add in ‘how are you’ check-ins. Let’s look at equalities benchmarking tools.

Inaction is not an option. For Brewdog, or for any of us.