QuietQuitting – changingthehuStLecuLtureMentaLitY & eMBracingwork-LifeBaLance
Diversity , equity & Inclusion Committee Chairs : AntinaMobley — PublicDefender ’ sOffice , ThirteenthCircuit & AmyCasanova-Ward — FLDept . ofFinancialServices
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic , there has been a lasting “ burnout ” effect felt nationwide by employees in just about every sector imaginable . Globally , millions of people were left traumatized as death tolls dramatically rose . Grappling alone with this new standard of life , families and communities were left unsupported and in isolation . People began turning to social media for help with topics as varied as how to help your child with their algebra homework and how to treat mental health . This “ burnout ” was further worsened by social media that avidly and morbidly reported the news coverage of constant death tolls , police and government activity , and CDC reports . Those images reverberated , adding to the day-to-day , work-life mental health struggles . In an effort to balance this new work-life culture , the outcry from employees was clear , “ We need your help ; we need to feel valued in difficult times !” Deftly , the TikTok community responded with socially acceptable ways to pushback and protect mental health .
The message of protecting mental health has now culminated into an actual cohesive movement . Employees tweet and post TikTok ’ s on social media emphasizing the need for professional success to take
recentdatashowsthatit ’ snolongertheacceptednormfor businessmodelstoreflectprioritizingworkabovementalhealth .
a back seat to mental health . Popularly known as “ quiet quitting ,” employees sought a novel pathway toward self-care . Employers who failed to provide proper mental health initiatives sent an unfortunate message of apathetic human values .
As recently reported by Fortune , young engineer Zaid Kahn created a TikTok post describing “ quiet quitting ” as “ still performing your duties , while no longer subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality that work defines you … your worth as a person is no longer defined by your labor .” 1 Nevertheless , many may not have believed and initially disregarded the social media posts of a Gen-Zer . I mean how could Zaid Kahn have a substantial effect on business overall ? And yet he did ! In fact , he captured the attention of more than 3.6 million people worldwide . Today , “ quiet quitting ” is more potent to the bottom line than ever , and employers need to take notice .
Employers can no longer forego mental health in order to selfishly serve the bottom line . Employers are now urged to change the culture , transforming employees ’ mental health into a collective priority . With attrition rates on the rise , HarvardBusinessReview ’ s study reported “ 68 % of Millennials and 81 % of Gen Zers have left roles for mental health reasons .” 2 These alarming rates have heightened concerns , highlighting the need for employers to do more than offer mere cake in the conference room to appease chronic burnout .
Determined to increase the valuable need for positive and sustainable mental health , employers are encouraged to diversify their methods of supporting their workforce . Law firms are no exception to this dynamic . As reported by JDSupra , 78 % of women who worked for Big Law continuedonpage39
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