March 2023 Pulse Newsletter

1. 75% of Employees Experience "Sunday Scaries"

TL;DR: Burnout is widespread and it's impacting 77% of your employees. Here's what Sunday nights can tell us about the work week ahead.

Let's set the stage. It's Sunday night and you just spent the weekend enjoying time with family and friends, relaxing and recharging, and unplugging from work. Then, it hits you all at once that you have less than 12 hours until you log back on and start another work week.

How do you feel in this moment?

The answer to this question is a strong signal into the reality of your company's culture. Bill Marklein said it perfectly: Culture is how employees' hearts and stomachs feel about Monday morning on a Sunday night.

A recent LinkedIn survey of 2,000 U.S. workers found that 75% of employees experience the Sunday scaries, a universal experience on the rise. And there's more:

74% of respondents with Sunday scaries say their feelings have increased due to current economic uncertainty.
37% say their feelings have worsened because they are more overwhelmed at work than ever before.
31% blame these feelings on fear of a potential recession.

New noise in workplace trends also came out this week, known as bare minimum Monday—add that one to your growing HR glossary! This new trend is a burnout prevention strategy where employees take a slower start to the week as a form of self-care to conserve energy for the week ahead, a new way of managing the Monday to-dos and Sunday scaries.

This pre-work anxiety provides a unique take on company culture, and organizations need to consider the support their employees need before it becomes the reason why they've disengaged or left altogether.

2. #EmbraceEquity

TL;DR: March 8 is International Women's Day and this month marks Women's History Month.

This awareness day and month are important to acknowledge because:

Female leaders leave their jobs at the highest rate ever — and at higher rates than men in leadership. To put the problem into perspective, for every woman at the director level who gets promoted, two women directors are choosing to leave their company.
Women are drastically underrepresented in leadership; only 1 in 4 are women, and 1 in 20 are women of color.
Women report they are more stressed at work than their male counterparts. Stress remains one of the top reasons why women quit.
The gender pay gap is slowly closing, with estimates that it will take another 132 years to close.

We are here to support, celebrate, empower and champion the women in your organization. Stay informed and get involved with resources from International Women's Day (IWD).

Looking for a place to start? We brought together experts from Ovia Health, Rethink Care, and Virgin Pulse to discuss how organizations like yours can build a future of work that works for women. Watch the replay to learn about empathetic benefits and how to create a culture of support →

Want more? Join us at our 10th annual Thrive Summit to hear from Jes Wolfe, Chairwoman and CEO of Rebel Girls, a girl-driven, edutainment company on a mission to inspire and instill confidence in girls. Jes will share what ignites changemakers, the power of grit, and how to fuel the spark within yourself and others. In-person registration closes on March 17.

3. The Toll of Layoff Anxiety and Guilt

TL;DR: Layoffs continue to make headlines and employers need to lead with empathy for those who are still with their organization.

If your social feed looks anything like ours, your news bar is filled with the latest layoffs making headlines over the last few months.

Layoffs are never desired or easy, but what an organization does next following a downsizing is critical to the remaining employees' retention, satisfaction, and engagement.

Employees who survive a layoff might be experiencing symptoms of workplace survivor syndrome, like reduced trust, impacted loyalty and morale, decreased productivity and engagement, grudges and anger, and other negative feelings.

If your organization is one of the many facing these challenges, it is essential to lead with empathy as you help employees through this time. To avoid the adverse outcomes above, employers will want to get started right away, setting up regular check-ins, reprioritizing and delegating projects, and working towards the next steps together.

Instill trust and confidence with our Employee Retention and Engagement Toolkit.

4. Is Clutter Killing Your Productivity?

TL;DR: The average employee spends 45 minutes a day searching through digital information that they need to do their job.

March 20 is the first day of spring, and what better way to welcome the changing seasons like spring cleaning?

As you put on your yellow gloves and hit the baseboards, don't forget about the place you spend the majority of your week: your workspace. It's time to declutter your work setup and e-clutter.

A clean and organized office not only makes for a great meeting background, but can also help increase your productivity, create a sense of peace, and foster a safe space to work in. You can bring order to your office space with these spring cleaning tips from Office Depot.

Just like you would clean out the junk drawer in your kitchen, the same goes for your computer; declutter your e-clutter.

Duplicate files saved of the same document? One is plenty, delete the rest.
20+ files save to your desktop? We see you over there! File, reorganize, or trash.
Have a bookmark saved from 2018 that hasn't been opened since pre-pandemic times? Unpin it an make way for the tabs you use today.

This digital clutter doesn't just slow your computer down, it slows you down too. Step into spring on a fresh note and don't forget some fresh flowers for the final touch.

Monica Geller. The Perfectionist

Monica is the first one to join any virtual team meeting. Her punctuality and attention to detail don't go unnoticed. While she is more of an independent worker, she's currently working on releasing control and collaborating more with her teammates.

Note: Monica would be slightly offended if you sent her the spring cleaning list above. Her work-from-home set up looks like a Zoom background off the West Elm website.

"Now, I need you to be careful and efficient. And remember: If I am harsh with you, it's only because you're doing it wrong."

Monica

"I'm not great at advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?"

Chandler

"You can't just give up! Is that what a dinosaur would do?"

Joey

"It's like all my life everyone's told me, 'You're a shoe!' Well, what if I don't want to be a shoe? What if I want to be a purse or a hat?"

Rachel

"Here we go. Pivot. Pivot! Pivot! Pi-vot. Pi-vot. Pi-vot!"

Ross

Bonus! Your glossary for the latest workplace trends.

Stay up to date on the latest trending hashtags and phrases in HR. We've put all the terms used above into this #trending glossary:

Bare minimum Monday. This week's newest trend is about taking a slower start to the work week as a form of self-care to conserve energy for the week ahead and prevent burnout. Instead of starting the week with a long (and often overwhelming) to-do list, employees start the week with a lighter workload to spread deadlines and deliverables over the week ahead. LinkedIn News

Burnout. Burnout is not just an empty term used to define when employees have had a long week; it's a severe and real issue affecting their long-term wellbeing and ability to perform effectively. Employees have defined burnout as 'feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one's job and reduced professional productivity in relation to chronic workplace stress.' World Health Organization

Career cushioning. A plan B, safety net, or alternative option to your current job without necessarily looking for another job. Something that can prepare you for your next role. Employees are using this to protect their professional and financial future among uncertainty and company layoffs. SHRM

The Great Break Up. Women are demanding more from work and they're leaving/breaking up with companies in unprecedented numbers to get it. McKinsey

Stress. A state of mental tension or worry caused by a difficult or challenging situation. Unlike burnout, stress has an end in sight, which can be difficult to see or get there. Doctor on Demand

Sunday scaries. The dread, anxiety, and stress that happens the day before heading back to work. Fast Company

Survivor syndrome: The emotional, psychological, and physical effects of employees who remain in the midst of a company downsizing. BJC Healthcare

Pulse Newsletter: March 2023

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