Burnout impacts around one in four workers according to research from McKinsey.
This has been common knowledge as the stresses of the pandemic and other global factors come into play. As a result of this burnout, some employees are reporting quietly quitting as a way to cope.
Quiet quitting isn’t exactly what it appears to be. It means that workers are less interested in going above and beyond at their jobs and simply want to meet their expectations.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this — compartmentalization is a common tactic humans use to deal with daily stresses. But is there a way for companies to actually make work an exciting place?
Some businesses have opted to adopt a four-day work week in an effort to tend to these wounds. However, taking a one-size-fits-all approach could further hurt employee morale.
In order to truly nurture a team’s needs, leaders need to consider what is best for their employees. Is more flexibility the solution? What about an increase in pay?
Shorter workweeks can certainly help slightly fill the gaps in supporting employee mental health, but adopting more concrete and long-term solutions will be key.
For instance, offering Fridays off seems great on the surface, but real flexibility allows workers to go to the doctor’s office on a Tuesday afternoon.
Setting guidelines to what flexibility looks like becomes, well, inflexible. However, providing choice based on each person’s needs can do wonders for engagement.
Not only is adopting a fully flexible schedule best for worker productivity, they also have more time to nurture their personal life without overworking during the time they are in the office.
