How Loud Leaving Can Lead to a Healthier Work-Life Balance

It’s only March, but a lot of us are already feeling burnt out. Over the past few years, we’ve seen trends like quiet quitting and the Great Resignation cause chaos in the workplace. But one of the greatest adjustments has been returning to the office after many have worked from home for so long during the pandemic. As it turns out, a new trend known as “loud leaving” may be making this adjustment period a lot easier for workers.

What is loud leaving?

Research conducted by LinkedIn has revealed new insights on workers’ feelings towards returning to the office post-pandemic and some of the tactics that are helping this transition.

According to the survey, which polled 1,002 workers in Australia in the last week of February, 53 per cent of workers are more receptive to being physically back in the office than a year ago. However, 49 per cent agreed they feel they need to overcompensate when working from home to prove they are serious about their jobs.

Regardless of whether it’s putting in hours at the office or at home, burnout is still very real in the workforce today.

Cue the emergence of Loud Leaving. This is essentially when managers make it known they are visibly leaving the workplace for the day, which is a signal to employees that it’s okay to shut down their work and clock off at a reasonable time.

According to the survey, 46 per cent of participants said they’d experienced a form of Loud Leaving in the workplace recently, so it’s a trend that is certainly on the rise.

If you haven’t seen your bosses take part in this trend, maybe encourage them to do so for the sake of healthier work culture.

“Since Australians are focusing more on work-life balance than ever before, managers who support this by leading by example are really setting the tone in the workplace. A positive workplace culture leads to workers feeling like they can achieve their career goals without worrying about burning out,” Cayla Dengate, LinkedIn’s Career Expert, said.

Other positives that were highlighted in the report include desk bombing, aka when a co-worker shows up unannounced to have a chat, which 52 per cent of respondents said they enjoyed. Social interaction in the office was also highlighted, with 38 per cent saying it was one of the main reasons they show up at the office.

Socialising is great and all, but it can become distracting. That’s why LinkedIn also offered some tips in its report for maintaining focus while working at the office, such as activating “monk mode” which means focusing solely on one task while at the office, or bringing headphones to block out distractions.

Then, when it comes time to clock off, make sure you follow your manager’s lead and leave the office at a reasonable hour.