January 18th, 2022
Resignation shows how workers are experiencing a purpose crisis.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September 2021, a record high, showing that “The Great Resignation” (also referred to as “The Great Realization”) is in full swing. The COVID-19 pandemic gave many people time to stop and think and reevaluate their professional and personal lives. The result is many workers now demand more than a paycheck; they want a sense of purpose in both work and life.
Resignation revealed that workers need purpose and improved mental health supports.
To achieve this, organizations must build and maintain mentally healthy workplace cultures. Employees expect to feel valued and embraced. They want a working environment that provides a sense of community and well-being. They’re far more interested in organizations that emphasize work-life balance, which includes benefits like paid time off and mental health supports and services. In fact, a recent study by the Harvard Business Review showed that 91 percent of respondents believe a company’s culture should support mental health.
Organizations finally recognize the huge impact of mental health struggles and the resulting lack of productivity on their bottom line. Even before COVID, research predicted the global result of mental health conditions is estimated to cost companies 6 trillion by 2030. With the pandemic, that number is expected to rise as almost 50 percent of workers surveyed at the end of last year reported they were struggling with mental health concerns. And it’s affecting younger generations even more profoundly, with 68 percent of Millennials and 81 percent of Gen Z workers reporting they left work for mental health reasons.
These four areas can help organizations and employees work on their purpose:
- Conduct a cultural survey and environmental needs assessment. Examine your existing culture and develop strategies to increase integrity, curiosity, authentic communication, and collective responsibility.
- Perform team and workplace evaluations. Build compassionate, courageous, and connected teams. Empower leadership to achieve a dynamic workplace where health, well-being, and productivity are optimized.
- Develop and maintain a purpose-driven workplace culture. Prioritize and practice authenticity, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and meaningful engagement at all levels.
- Prioritize mental well-being. Customize mind-body-spirit care to address employee/employer challenges, such as workplace traumatic stress, burnout, and a lack of engagement or fulfillment.
The good news is that everyone has a purpose.
The challenge is to articulate, realize, and live in alignment with your purpose. Because living with purpose and meaning is critical to our overall well-being and happiness. Experiencing a “purpose crisis” in your life can cause you to feel dissatisfied, hopeless, empty, bored, or to find little pleasure in the things that usually bring you joy or satisfaction. At work, in particular, you may feel unstimulated, disappointed, and have a lack of meaning in what you’re doing.
In many instances, dissatisfied employees can realize improvements through their employers’ efforts as more and more companies are offering mental health services to retain their workforce and enhance workplace culture. A holistic focus on mind-body-spirit wellness can support individuals and organizations to get to the root cause of a purpose deficit or crisis in order to achieve lasting improvements. And the time is right now when so many employees are struggling with health concerns, loneliness and isolation, burnout, work-life imbalance, depression, stress, addiction, and trauma.
Fortunately, the results of employer-sponsored mental health programs have been overwhelmingly positive. In a 2021 Modern Health Report, employees were asked how they benefitted from mental health support:
- 47 percent said their mood improved.
- 48 percent felt less stressed.
- 46 percent were better able to balance work and life.
- 31 percent said they were more capable of bringing their whole selves to work.
Mental health supports must not be band-aid solutions or one-size-fits-all approaches.
Instead, they must be individualized and utilize holistic strategies proven to be effective. Simply put, if organizations hope to attract and retain employees during the Great Resignation/Great Realization, they will need to prioritize their employees’ mental wellness and make the workplace actually work for employees—which truly benefits everyone.
A purpose-driven workplace culture includes creating an environment where employees are encouraged to be open, authentic, and compassionate with others. It is a culture where employees are not afraid to show vulnerability, including openly discussing their mental health struggles. In short, all people must be able to bring their true and full selves to work all of the time. No masks, no shame, no blame!
Only then will we reduce mental health stigma—a critical barrier to organizations evolving culturally and becoming more purpose-driven. And when organizations evolve culturally to the point where employees and leaders are more purpose-driven, an exponential increase in job satisfaction, retention, and productivity will transpire—a true win-win!
Forbes, The ‘Great Realization’ Has Inspired People To Seek Happiness In Their Jobs And Careers, Sep 1, 2021
World Economic Forum, Mental health at work
2021 Modern Health Report
Harvard Business Review, It’s a New Era for Mental Health at Work, October 04, 2021
Craig Beach, M.D., is a Clinical and Forensic Psychiatrist and Founder/CEO/Chief Medical Officer of Open Mind Health – a diverse team of mind-body-spirit healers who help people thrive and heal in the real world today.
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