The Masks Your Team Wears at Work, and 5 Questions to Ask This Halloween

This weekend, a lot of people will put on a mask on purpose. On Monday, many of them will put a different one back on without thinking about it: the "I'm good, how are you?" face they wear at work.

This post is for whoever decides how an organization takes care of its people: the founder, the CEO, the head of school, the executive director, the HR lead, the senior pastor.

Your people take care of everyone else. Who takes care of them?

Below: why people wear a mask at work, five check-in questions to ask your team this week, how to ask them so they don't feel like a trick, and what to do when the honest answer to the last question is "nobody."

Why Do People Wear a Mask at Work?

In Randstad's 2025 Workmonitor, 63% of workers said they hide aspects of their personality at work, up from 55% the year before (Randstad Workmonitor, 2025). Most of your people aren't hiding anything dramatic. They're keeping the parts of life that don't fit a job title somewhere else.

That isn't a flaw. It's often care. The teacher who smiles through a full classroom while her dad is in the hospital is putting her students first. The operations manager who says "busy, but good" during a hard month at home is trying not to add to anyone's plate. The people who take care of everyone else tend to be very good at looking fine.

We know you care, but you can't sit beside every one of your people. Some things never get said at work. A mask is how those things stay unsaid.

Does Your Team Know You Care?

As of May 2026, only one in five U.S. employees strongly agree that their organization cares about their overall wellbeing (Gallup, 2026). You may care a great deal. The question is whether your people can see it.

It matters for them, and for you. Gallup found that employees who feel their organization cares about their wellbeing are 54% less likely to be job hunting and 3.2 times less likely to report frequent burnout (Gallup, 2026).

Caring and showing it aren't the same thing. One of the simplest ways to show it is to ask a real question and wait for the real answer.

What Should You Ask Your Team This Halloween?

Here are five check-in questions. Pick one per conversation, not all five at once.

1. "What's taking up the most room in your head this week?" It invites work and home without asking for either. People answer with whatever is loudest.
2. "What's something that went well lately that nobody noticed?" Check-ins aren't only for hard weeks. This one gives people a chance to talk about the good ones, too.
3. "Is there anything you'd want me to know that doesn't come up in our meetings?" It tells them there's room for more than the agenda, without making them say anything.
4. "What would make next week a little lighter?" It's specific, small and easy to answer, and it gives you something you can act on.
5. "Who's in your corner outside of work?" This is the most important one. Listen closely to the answer.

How Do You Ask Without It Feeling Like a Trick?

A good question can still land wrong if it shows up out of nowhere. A few things make it feel like a treat instead:

• Ask one-on-one. A question like "Who's in your corner?" doesn't belong in a team meeting. Question 2 can, if you want to start a meeting on a good note.
• Put your phone face-down. It tells the person they have your full attention.
• Go first. Answer the question yourself before you ask it. When the leader goes first, everyone follows.
• Don't push. "I'm good" is a fine answer. You've shown you'll ask, and that's what they'll remember.
• Follow up. If someone tells you something real, check in the next day.

If someone tells you they're not okay, our guide on what to say when an employee tells you they're struggling walks through the first minute, word for word.

What If the Answer Is "Nobody"?

Question 5 is the one that matters most, because some of your people won't have a good answer. We know you care, but you can't sit beside every one of your people. And some things never get said at work, no matter how safe you make it.

That's why Forte gives every one of your people their own Forte Coach, a real person outside work who's with them for all of it, the hard weeks and the good ones.

Everything lives in one app. They pick a time, their Coach calls them, and short exercises keep them growing between calls. Members can connect with their Coach as early as the next day, and they can keep the same Coach or switch any time (Forte Coaches). Sessions are confidential, and you see only anonymized, organization-wide trends. Coaches use Mental Fitness training, and you can see how Forte works step by step.

Here's how one Forte Member described the difference: "Before Forte, I felt seen but unsupported. After Forte, I feel seen and supported."

You become a place where everyone has someone in their corner. So your people feel as cared for as the people they care for.