3 Professionals are exchanging “hustle culture” for greater work-life balance
Professionals are pushing back against “hustle culture,” with some even embracing the global trend of “quiet quitting,” doing only the bare minimum their job requires. In China, for example, Gen Z is rejecting the exhausting demands of a 9-9-6 schedule — working 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week — in favor of less-demanding positions at regulated public sector or state-owned enterprise work. Here, quiet quitting is called “lying flat” or “tang ping,” a phrase that evokes dropping out of the proverbial rat race in favor of better work-life balance.
This trend is also seen in the rejection of “desk-time” or “face time” culture, where employees feel pressure to be seen at their desks — whether or not they actually need to be there in order to work. Remote and hybrid work helped illuminate the false assumption that time in the office equates with productivity, and top talent now expects greater autonomy over when, where and how they work.
Across the region, the pandemic elevated concerns around employee well-being and the dangers of burnout. As more teams return to in-person work, however, not all promises for better work-life balance are coming to fruition. Companies that continue to make wellness offerings part of their employee benefit packages, like mental health benefits or paid sabbaticals, stand to gain a recruitment advantage in a competitive talent market. The same goes for companies that offer remote or hybrid work. Benefits like schedule and location flexibility will position these organizations as employers of choice for top professionals.
4 Inclusion can unlock better team performance and build a future talent pipeline
Diverse and inclusive teams make better decisions 87% of the time and are 75% faster at bringing products to market, yet some APAC organizations have been slow to prioritize inclusion policies. That’s a huge miss, especially in a region home to a rich array of people, cultures and ethnicities.
Diverse hiring is a proactive approach to recruiting the best candidates regardless of age, race, gender or ability. It also includes infusing inclusivity into the everyday employee experience and investing in meaningful engagement with a diverse talent pool. Doing so will not only enhance current teams but also build a pipeline for future talent–– a move that can’t come at a better time.
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