Bryan Robinson, author and Ph.D., noted that there have been many things for employees to be quiet about over the last few years. These “hush and quiet trends”—which Robinson says are symptoms of the disconnect between the firm's culture and employee needs—have made it difficult for workers to know what to express openly and what to be silent about.
Robinson authored forty nonfiction books, including one called "Chained to the Desk in a Hybrid World: A Guide to Balance."
Writing for Forbes, Robinson said that quiet quitting and mental health days could soon become things of the past now that “unhappy leave” policies have gained momentum.
The “unhappy leave” trend started when a Chinese supermarket chain no longer wanted inhumane work hours imposed on staff and began offering up to 10 days of “unhappy leave” each year without any detailed explanations or manager approvals. The policy was established to remove the stigma of taking a mental health day and to help employees cope with work pressure.
Robinson cited Hogan Assessments, which said that “unhappy leave” policies have become a new solution firms have undertaken to relieve workplace disengagement by letting employees take time off when they feel unhappy or stressed.
Hogan said these U.S. trends are symptomatic of a disconnect between company culture and employee needs. They highlight more profound organizational challenges, including rising worker dissatisfaction, that many organizations have failed to address.
“The ‘unhappy leave’ policy reflects a continued trend towards emphasizing the importance of mental health at work,” noted Ryne Sherman, chief science officer at Hogan Assessments. However, Sherman said that since this is a relatively new concept, there is not much empirical proof to evaluate the effectiveness of unhappy leaves.
The rising prominence of this workplace trend, Hogan said, signals elevated frustration among workers who, despite being employed, feel unsupported and are mulling an extended leave or resignation. Hogan said firms must focus on understanding the underlying psychological needs and stressors behind these trends. Hogan advises firms to take a more strategic approach, citing a solution would be using personality data. “With the data from personality assessments, organizations can create work environments that align with employees' values and motivations, preventing dissatisfaction before it becomes a major issue,” Hogan said.
Hogan enumerated four ways to proactively address unhappy leaves instead of merely reacting to the situation.
• Tailoring development to the individual. Hogan said that understanding individual strengths and values is key to increasing engagement. Companies can enhance engagement by creating personalized development plans that align workers' roles with their career growth.
• Hiring based on values. Hogan recommended that companies, to retain top talent, ensure their hiring processes look for candidates whose values align with the firm to retain top talent. By prioritizing this alignment, firms cultivate a culture of engagement.
• Monitoring managers. Poor management can be very damaging to employee engagement. Behaviors such as blaming others or ignoring team concerns must be quickly addressed. Staff with bad managers usually have a diminished quality of work. By contrast, workers who describe their managers as calm, organized, skilled listeners and business-focused are three times more likely to be engaged.
• Providing clear communication. Hogan said CEOs must communicate a vision that resonates with workers’ values. When a CEO successfully communicates an appealing vision, staff are more likely to align their interests with organizational goals and actively work to achieve them.
In addition to these four suggestions, Hogan also pointed out that firms that do not address these issues in a holistic manner will face dissatisfaction trends among their employees.