Each year, International Women’s Day invites a bigger conversation about equality at work. This year’s theme, #GivetoGain, got us thinking about something simple but often overlooked: what people are giving at work, and what they’re allowed to gain in return.
So we turned the question inward.
In the lead up to International Women’s Day, we asked the MYNDUP team a question each day. Not big theoretical questions. Practical ones about everyday work culture.
The invisible labour women carry.
The permission to rest.
How we invest in ourselves.
And what role men play in building real equality at work.
Here’s what we asked and what our team shared.
What’s one way women in your team give their time, energy, expertise - the stuff nobody notices? How would calling it out change the game?
Kathryn, CEO
The emotional temperature regulation. The smoothing. The mentoring that isn’t in the job description. The remembering who’s struggling and quietly checking in. Calling these things out shifts it from personality to contribution. From ‘she’s just like that’ to ‘that’s leadership.’ And once you name it, you can value it. And once you value it, you can protect it.
Iole, Head of Practitioner Programme
Women volunteer all the time without needing to - the desire to be helpful seems to be really strong and while that can be as strength it shouldn't be at the expense of their own needs. Highlighting the extra contribution and actually rewarding it would give it value that it's often not given. Reward it thoughtfully. Otherwise it risks becoming expected, not appreciated.
When was the last time you gave yourself or a colleague permission to rest?What difference did it make to energy, focus, or wellbeing?
Kathryn, CEO
After my surgery. Lying flat, physically unable to perform, I realised how much of my identity is tied to output. Rest felt rebellious. But energy stopped being performative and became real again.
Lottie, Head of Account Management
I consciously give my team permission to rest - I'd much rather they give themselves (guilt-free) space to feel their best than plough on for the sake of it. I definitely don't do this for myself but I'm working on it!
Esmé, Marketing Executive
I pay attention to my hormonal cycle, so during lower energy phases, I accept that I’ll move a little slower. That means prioritising rest and not pushing myself to perform at the same pace as on higher energy days.
Zoe, Head of Marketing
I like to think I’m quite good at spotting when someone’s having a bit of an off day, and give them permission to step back - without it being made into a thing. That can be enough to help someone refocus, as it lifts the invisible pressure and gives them space to take a moment for themselves.
Iole, Head of Practitioner Programme
This is my superpower - I never caught the over performance bug.
What’s one way you invest in yourself at work or at home - the small things that actually pay off?
Zoe, Head of Marketing
My investment is a simple one - taking Mylo, my dog, on a walk and deliberately not having my headphones in. Leaving them behind makes me more present and gives my brain some breathing room. I often come back with more clarity or ideas I'd been struggling to find.
Liv, Account Executive
One way I invest in myself is by making daily movement non-negotiable. It doesn't have to be intense, but small consistent movement keeps my energy up, clears my head, and helps me show up better at work and at home.
Iole, Head of Practitioner Programme
Have fun and laugh. If you don't have something each day that makes you laugh then make finding that a priority!
Lottie, Head of Account Management
My manager and I joke that I'm always tired. My 'investment'? I love a nap. If I'm feeling sluggish or can't concentrate, taking 30 minutes to recharge does absolute wonders for my mood & concentration. And best believe, it makes me far less ratty!
Kathryn, CEO
Protecting thinking time. It looks small: a blocked calendar slot. A walk without a podcast. A notebook instead of Slack. But it pays back in better decisions, calmer leadership, and less noise-driven chaos. Oh, and pilates x
For the men on our team: how can giving men more support - paternity leave, mentoring, or wellbeing guidance - create real equality and improve culture?
Tex, Operations Manager
When men are given real support like paternity leave, mentoring, and space to look after their wellbeing, it changes how responsibility is shared at home and at work. This takes the pressure off women to carry the load of the stereotypical role and helps build a fairer culture for everyone.
Jordan, Head of Sales
For me, this means giving men permission and structures to engage and ask for help earlier, not at breaking point. You reduce stigma. You normalise vulnerability. You make it acceptable for men to step into caregiving roles. You make it easier for women not to carry that load alone.
Gus, Senior Account Manager
Encouraging men to take paternity leave signals that careers and caregiving belong to all genders, taking pressure off women and shifting workplace culture toward real equality. When wellbeing support feels built for men too, it’s easier to open up and prioritise our mental health.
Jamie, Head of Finance & Operations
When men feel supported with paternity leave, mentoring, or better wellbeing resources, they're more likely to open up. And when that happens, the whole team benefits. The ‘men don't talk’ culture is already shifting. Give men the right tools, and that shift happens faster.
International Women’s Day often focuses on what women give. And rightly so. The invisible work, the emotional labour, the extra energy that keeps teams running.
But the idea behind Give to Gain asks a slightly different question.
What happens when the giving is shared more fairly?
When rest is normalised, not earned.
When investing in yourself is seen as part of doing good work, not a distraction from it.
And when men are supported to show up differently too.
The answers from our team were simple, honest, and practical.
Culture rarely changes through big declarations.
It changes through everyday choices, habits, and conversations.
So the real question after reading this might be a simple one:
What could you give a little more space for at work, so everyone has more to gain?