By Hogan Assessments
The "Unhappy Leaves" trend underscores the growing issue of employee dissatisfaction that many organizations still fail to address. “Unhappy Leaves” policies have become a new solution companies have engaged in to alleviate workplace disengagement by allowing employees to take time off when they are feeling unhappy or stressed. However, the increased prominence of this trend indicates escalating frustration among workers who, despite being employed, feel so unsupported that they consider taking extended leaves or resigning.
Instead of merely reacting to trends like "Unhappy Leaves," Hogan Assessments advises companies to take a more strategic approach. Companies should instead focus on understanding the underlying psychological needs and stressors driving these trends that showcase workplace dissatisfaction. One solution is the utilization of 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.
However, recent trends, such as "Quiet Quitting" and "The Great Resignation," reveal deeper organizational challenges. "Quiet Quitting" reflects disengaged employees doing the minimum required, while "The Great Resignation" saw millions leaving their jobs in search of more fulfilling work. "Unhappy Leaves" follows patterns seen in "Career Cushioning" and "The Boomerang Effect," where employees seek alternative plans or return to former roles due to dissatisfaction.
“The “unhappy leave” policy reflects a continued trend towards emphasizing the importance of mental health at work. By providing employees with the time needed to be in the appropriate mental state at the office, the unhappy leaves aim to reduce workplace accidents caused by mental overload, personal conflicts in the workplace, and to increase productivity by ensuring a workforce that is operating at maximal capacity. As this is a relatively new concept, there is not much empirical evidence evaluating the effectiveness of unhappy leaves on these outcomes”, explains Ryne Sherman, Chief Science Officer at Hogan Assessment.
Hogan also emphasizes that these trends are symptoms of a disconnect between company culture and employee needs. Organizations that fail to address these issues holistically will continue to face evolving dissatisfaction trends among their workforce. Investing in data-driven solutions, like Hogan’s personality assessments, allows companies to tackle these issues at their core, fostering sustainable engagement and retention.
Here are 4 effective ways to address these problems:
Tailor Development to the Individual: Understanding individual strengths and values is crucial for increasing engagement. Employers can boost engagement by creating personalized development plans that align employees' roles with their career growth, supported by data from personality assessments.
Hire According to Values: To retain top talent, organizations should ensure their hiring processes seek candidates whose motivations, preferences, and values align with the company’s. By prioritizing alignment between employee values and organizational values, companies foster a culture of engagement. Selection processes should focus on candidates whose values overlap with those of the organization, making it easier for them to engage in their work, integrate with their teams, and support corporate initiatives. Assessing for values alongside personality can significantly enhance employee engagement.
Monitor Managers: Poor management can severely damage employee engagement. Behaviors such as blaming others or ignoring team concerns must be addressed promptly. Employees with bad managers often experience a diminished quality of work life, with many admitting to crying at work, often due to problematic management. In contrast, employees who describe their managers as calm, organized, skilled at listening, and business-focused are three times more likely to be engaged.
Clear Communication: CEOs must craft and communicate a vision that resonates with employees’ values. When a CEO successfully communicates an appealing vision, employees are more likely to align their personal interests with organizational goals and actively work toward achieving them.
About Hogan Assessments: The international leader in personality insights, Hogan Assessments produces valid, reliable personality assessments grounded in decades’ worth of research. More than 75% of the Fortune 500 use Hogan’s talent acquisition and development solutions to hire the right people without bias, boost productivity, reduce turnover, and promote diversity and inclusion. For more information, visit hoganassessments.com.
