Why employers need to do more to look after employees mental wellbeing
October 13, 2022
You might have seen and heard the phrase recently “quiet quitting” on your social feeds or in the news. But what does this phrase mean, and what does it say about the mental health of our workforce?
Quiet quitting is not about quitting your job, it means doing only the specific tasks in your job description and job role, without doing any more – so no checking emails in the evenings, getting involved in tasks that sit outside an employee’s job role or working extra hours.
It’s a growing trend, predominantly among younger workers who are readjusting their priorities post pandemic and want to improve work life balance. It’s linked to a clear fall in job satisfaction and is often the result of a perceived lack of recognition and compensation for taking on additional responsibilities or tasks.
Those who have adopted quiet quitting say that it helps them feel empowered, taking back control over their worklife and stepping away from the pressure to overachieve, alleviating risk of burnout.
However, critics of quiet quitting view it as settling for mediocrity and believe a perception that employees might be “slacking off” will put them in a weak position when promotions and pay reviews do come around, as well as potentially impacting their prospects of moving to a new job. There’s also an argument that ultimately it leads to worse job satisfaction and if employees are contemplating quiet quitting, it is possibly a sign that it’s actually time to move jobs.
If you are struggling in your role for any reason, find yourself lacking enthusiasm or feel a lack of recognition, we would always suggest that the first step should be to have a conversation with your line manager.
Whether you agree with the concept or not, trends like quiet quitting, switching to a four-day work week and hybrid working are a clear indication that the workforce is becoming increasingly empowered to be more vocal about their wellbeing, and take steps to improve it.
Create a positive workplace wellbeing culture
Developing a supportive wellbeing culture can have measurable results to an organisation. We believe it is important that employers and their workforce know how to address mental health and wellbeing and support one another, and we have a range of mental health and wellbeing services designed to help you.
We also have a specific short course that will help you understand how best to create an effective wellbeing culture in your workplace regardless of team or organisational size. According to the recent Deloitte report – “Mental health and employers – refreshing the case for investment”, their research showed that for every £1 spent on employee wellbeing, employers got £5 back.
Learn about course
