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A new global report paints a grim picture of the workplace: a majority of the world’s workers are quiet quitting and daily stress levels are rising.
The report by analytics and consulting firm Gallup found that in 2022, when workers around the world were asked if they were engaged in their work, quiet quitting or loud quitting, 59 per cent chose quiet quitting. Gallup defines the trend as when employees “put in the minimum effort required” and are “psychologically disconnected from their employer.” Eighteen per cent were loud quitting – taking “actions that directly harm the organization, undercutting its goals and opposing its leader” and 23 per cent said they were engaged in their work.
Canadian numbers are worse. Two thirds of workers were quiet quitting and 13 per cent were loud quitting.
Find out why burnout could be one of the root causes of quiet quitting.
Don’t make it personal: What leaders should learn from the Titan submersible
“If you were like me, you were transfixed on the tragic Titan submersible story,” says Eileen Dooley, a talent and leadership development specialist and leadership coach in Calgary. “I had never heard of such a thing before, yet I couldn’t stop constantly checking to see if there is any news, good or bad.
“What we saw was someone had a great idea and with a significant combination of time, money and resources, was able to make that idea happen, quickly. Hindsight is 20/20 and it is obviously easier to look back, but when looking back we see this is not uncommon in business. The president has a great idea, tells the executive team, who may push back, but the idea is going ahead, regardless of opposing views.
“Logic and pragmatism tend to get overrun by excitement and impulse. Determination then takes over, with excitement and impulse pushing it to the finish line, leaving logic and pragmatism in the dust.”
Read more about the lessons leaders can learn from the Titan submersible tragedy.
Now a mom, Alex Morgan is riding a Wave heading into her fourth Women’s World Cup
Her night’s work on the pitch finished, Alex Morgan walks into the postmatch news conference in her San Diego Wave uniform, barefoot and with her left ankle still taped up, with 3-year-old daughter Charlie in tow.
Morgan veers from soccer superstar to mom and back to soccer superstar.
“Why is my tummy hurting?” Charlie interjects while Morgan is discussing the Women’s World Cup that begins this month in New Zealand and Australia. “I don’t know. Too many snacks,” her mother responds, pushing something out of her daughter’s reach, segueing between topics with the ease of taking a pass and putting the ball into the back of the net.
Motherhood will bring a new element for Morgan’s fourth World Cup appearance.
“This is my first World Cup as a mom, so I just want to also just represent mom athletes and the accomplishments and strides we’ve been able to make in women’s soccer. I think it is amazing. I’m really excited for this,” she said.
Read more about how Alex Morgan is merging motherhood and sporting excellence.
In case you missed it
Reinvention after 50 – How to start a business in midlife, from four women who did it
Less fear, more ambition. Less apology, more confidence.
These are some of the words of wisdom from women over 50 who ditched steady jobs and financial security to pursue their passions through entrepreneurship.
Hitting 50 often serves as a wake-up call for men and women, says Lisa Murphy, 52, a Toronto-based digital content strategist who runs @50forwardclub on Instagram. The feed celebrates women over 50 “taking new directions and doing new things in their lives.”
She notes that midlife is often a time for introspection. “Many [people] ask themselves, ‘Is the work I am doing meaningful?’ and they start looking to see if the things they do in their spare time – for fun – could be a viable career.”
Read the full article.
What do Gen Z women want in the workplace?
For young women in the workplace, change is coming fast.
Generation Z – referring to people born between 1997 and 2011 – is a generation just beginning to hit the job market. Some Gen Zers are preparing to enter the workplace for the first time, while many started full-time work during the chaos and uncertainty of the pandemic. It’s a daunting prospect at a time when change has been the only constant.
“I think the pandemic has done a lot [to] show people that they need to advocate for themselves if they’re going to get what they want from their workplace,” says Aly Laube, a Vancouver-based Gen Z musician and staff writer at Daily Hive.
“You have to walk this fine line and dance a particular dance as a woman in the workplace, and that gets more complicated with each intersection [of identity],” she says.
Read the full article.
Ask Women and Work
Question: I will soon be returning to work after maternity leave. I experienced postpartum depression during my leave and there are still some days when I struggle. I am excited to get back to work and I actually feel like it could help me a lot, but I’ve been cautioned by my health-care provider that the transition could be challenging. How should I talk to my boss and colleagues about my PPD?
We asked Amanda Murray, founder and CEO of The Workaround, a parent-friendly coworking space in Toronto, and author of Day Nine: A Postpartum Depression Memoir, to tackle this one:
First of all, thank you for the vulnerability about your struggle – it’s one of the most challenging elements of an illness with so much stigma. When my daughter was nine days old, I was committed to a psychiatric ward for 18 days with postpartum depression. I’ll be honest and tell you that I didn’t mention it to my colleagues until I was back to work in the tech sector for over a year.
I have many regrets about the timing of my disclosure. I regret that I wasn’t more honest as I struggled to return to work because I could have used extra support. And I regret being in a workplace where I didn’t feel safe enough to say something sooner. The decision to disclose has so many variables that can determine when is and is not the right time to say something.
Granted, my experience was in 2014 and there has been progression in the workplace since. Before you make a decision, I would (quietly) investigate the psychological safety of revealing personal health information, the supportiveness of your supervisor and colleagues, and what benefit disclosure has for you. Mental health is health, and one of the best tools we have for removing stigma around mental illness is to treat (and talk about it!) like any other health emergency.
That said, if you ask ten workers how they feel about disclosing personal health information at work, my guess is you will receive ten different answers.
Choosing to disclose PPD can be quite complex because you’re managing an illness your colleagues can’t see and may not understand, which might generate more anxiety during a trying time. Above all else, taking care of you is most important. You may work in an environment that celebrates your vulnerability and offers supportive accommodations. Know that disclosing will open yourself up to questioning from well-meaning colleagues during a significant transitional period in your life. I would be sure you can manage this questioning alongside everything else going on for you, including lingering PPD struggles.
You could always ask for medical accommodations and leave it at that. If you choose to disclose that you have an ongoing mental illness, bravo! I hope your workplace cheers you on the way I am from here.
Submit your own questions to Ask Women and Work by e-mailing us at GWC@globeandmail.com.
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