The "Snail Girl Era": Reimagining workplace productivity and wellness
By embracing flexibility, fostering inclusivity, supporting mental health, and offering growth opportunities, HR leaders can navigate these changes effectively.
The modern workplace is undergoing a profound transformation. This evolution is driven by various factors, but one of the most significant changes is the prioritization of employee wellbeing. This can be seen in a recent emerging workplace trend known as the “Snail Girl Era.” In this new TikTok-driven era, young employees are shifting from the traditional “always on” work culture to a more balanced and mindful approach.
For a moment let’s suspend our perspectives on these highly problematic terms being used. First, these trends are by no means gendered “Girl Boss” (i.e. Girl Bosses are actually just bosses). Second, the language being used insinuates a lack of effort (i.e., “Snail Girl” or “Lazy Girl”), versus the intent which is about putting purpose behind your effort. Instead, let’s focus on how to enable organizations to react to the employee voices being shared around these trends.
In a time when the “Snail Girl Era,” “Lazy Girl Jobs” and “Bare Minimum Mondays” dominate headlines and social media feeds, managers and HR leaders must understand what “Snail Girl Era” and similar culture trends mean for employees and how to meet employees in the space where these worlds collide, in our workplaces.
Encouraging flexibility
Employees looking to take a more deliberate approach to work and incorporate time for friends, family, and hobbies aren’t snails after all. They are flexibility champions. Therefore, managers and HR leaders should take this as a sign that the time is now to build a supportive and flexible workplace culture. Flexibility is a familiar employee demand. In fact, Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI) found that flexibility is the number one reason employees job hunt and is equally as important as career progression.
So, when it comes to manifesting the “Snail Girl Era,” what does this look like — other than the need to stop using the term snail and instead embrace the power of employee’s voices sharing that what they seek is flexibility It could consist of taking more sick days when needed, the ability to work from home a couple of days a week to take care of children, assigning flexible deadlines, or getting to the office at 10 instead of 9 to skip rush hour. For each employee, it may “look” different, but overall, the message is the same – employee wellness is more important than ever. And HR and business leaders that encourage flexibility in the workplace help.
Safeguarding employee wellness
“Snail Girl Era” places a significant emphasis on mental health and wellbeing, beyond flexibility, there are plenty of ways managers can create healthy work environments that reduce stress and promote emotional wellbeing. Plus, there are proven business benefits of employee wellness. Data from AWI finds that when employee wellness suffers, so does the company’s bottom line.
Wellness incentives shouldn’t take the form of one-size-fits-all rewards like mugs or t-shirts provided on an ad hoc basis. Not only will these rewards mean little to employees, but they also require a significant amount of effort on the part of managers and HR to manually track and recognize employees’ wellness progress. To remain competitive and retain top talent in 2024, employers should design wellness initiatives. These initiatives should focus on improving employees’ emotional or physical health by offering resources for stress management, mental health support, and robust wellness benefits packages that also bring the flexibility employees are seeking.
Quality over quantity
Employees in their “Snail Girl Era,” prioritize the quality of their work over the number of hours they spend in the office. Therefore, managers should focus on setting clear, attainable goals and measure success by outcomes, rather than praise team members who work 60-hour weeks. It is essential to empower employees to make decisions, manage their time effectively, and provide opportunities for growth and learning. These practices must be integrated into the company’s culture from the onboarding process to help employees feel like they belong and are part of a team that accepts and values them.
Belonging
Some employees will fit into the positive Snail Girl archetype illustrated throughout this article. But there will always be employees that, instead, demonstrate traits of a “quiet quitter” and mentally check out of their jobs entirely. Regarding these workers, it’s possible they may have a low sense of belonging, a factor known to be a key influencer of both resilience and productivity in the workplace.
Achievers defines belonging with five pillars: being welcomed, known, included, supported, and connected. When an employee loses their sense of belonging, they can become disengaged. HR leaders can nip this phenomenon in the bud by ensuring their employees feel a sense of belonging from their first company interaction to their last.
A few ways leaders can help ensure belonging is engrained in every aspect of the workplace include regular employee surveys, training your people leaders to genuinely listen to employee concerns and act, and employee resource groups (ERG). When every employee feels comfortable at work, just like they are at home, they do their best work, become enthusiastic advocates, and bring more talent to the organization.
Related: Why are ‘lazy girl jobs’ gaining momentum?
How companies can support employees in their Snail Girl Era
In today’s evolving workplace, HR leaders have a pivotal role to play in adapting to the changing needs of employees. Prioritizing employee wellbeing is not just a trend, but a fundamental requirement for organizational success. By embracing flexibility, fostering inclusivity, supporting mental health, and offering growth opportunities, HR leaders can navigate these changes effectively.
Hannah Yardley is a Chief People and Culture Officer at Achievers.