In university, I had a lecturer who loved his job, and he never missed a class. One week, he fell ill and tried by all means to be present, but it wasn’t physically possible to come to campus. Asking him if we would still have a class that night, he replied with an email stating, "The heart is willing, but the flesh is weak." It’s like he couldn’t even bring himself to simply say, "Class is cancelled." I never forgot that instance. It shaped what I thought the working world would be, that I too would go on to love my job. It would become a part of who I was, a space where I felt that I could grow, contribute, and be valued. The reality that followed was quite different.

Workspaces have changed and continued to change since the pandemic, as people work towards finding a new normal, even four years later. During this adjustment period, there has been a rise in people resigning from their jobs because of toxic work environments and cultures. Pre-2020, toxic work environments were environments that were literally toxic, where employees worked in spaces that exposed them to dangerous conditions, harmful substances and chemicals or put them in some form on physical danger.

Over time, the term has changed to describe spaces that negatively impact both employees' mental and physical wellbeing. This can be in the form of negative attitudes and dynamics or unhealthy behaviours. This has given rise to a costly battle for corporates, 'resenteeism' or 'quiet quitting', in addition to the age-old struggles of 'presenteeism' and 'absenteeism'.

In South Africa, on any given day, at least 15% of the workforce is absent from work, costing the economy billions of rands every year. Presenteeism is the instance where, instead of taking off sick, employees go to work while feeling ill, where they are not able to perform at full capacity and also risk infecting their colleagues. In response to this and high levels of absenteeism, companies have invested heavily in wellness programmes to ensure that employees are healthier, have access to screenings for early detection of disease, and are given the right support to manage their health.

In turn, employers have a healthier, happier workforce and increased productivity. While these efforts may have reduced the effects of physically ill employees, it has not done much to curb the rise of resenteeism and quiet quitting which are results of defective workspaces, dynamics, and cultures.

Resenteeism or ‘quiet quitting’ refers to employees who appear to be busy but are unhappy, disengaged, burned out, and feel under-appreciated. They then do the bare minimum, staying at their current job because of financial constraints but are unproductive. This can be costly for an organisation, particularly if it happens on a large scale. However, there are other signs to look out for in addressing this issue, one being that of a high staff turnover rate or resignations.

Unfortunately, company culture is not always what its believed it to be. Company policy and strategy may carefully lay out a desired outcome on paper, but the acquired result be different. The culture is made up of its people, the ideas, and the social behaviour of the collective that makes up its staff. The work environment and conditions play a big role in forming work behaviours.

An environment that encourages engagement, personal growth, and a healthy work-life balance is most likely to be a healthier, happier space. However, part of the responsibility, I believe, lies with us as individuals. Many times, a negative experience is created by another. Kindness, consideration, and respect really go a long way in fostering healthy interactions and a safe working space.

My nightmare began in 2021, just over a year into my corporate career. I suffered an extreme case of burn out due to prolonged periods of long hours coupled with my eagerness to please as a new recruit. Speaking up made me looking weak and raised questions about my ambition or my potential to ‘climb the ladder’. This silenced my calls for help. I paid for it dearly the day my body caved in, and I woke up in the hospital’s emergency room. This was the start of a two-week hospital stay where even walking and talking become major undertakings.

It would take six months of healing before I would return to work, but the scars remained. At the time, I wanted to believe that my experience was an isolated incident. I wanted to believe that individuals, human beings are seen first and foremost as just that, human beings with lived experiences. People with feelings, emotions, families, and ambitions and would be treated as such. Sadly, this is not the case. We forget and forge ahead leaving others feeling undervalued, unappreciated, and even questioning their worth. We have formed this idea that the ladder to the top is built using others, leaving destruction in our wake.

As mental health continues to be promoted and prioritised, I hope that we come to see the role that we can play in making workspaces safer, more pleasant environments for us all simply by remembering that the person sitting next to you or behind the screen is a human being who carries so much more than what we can see. We must respect them for their role and their job while exercising kindness and consideration. Everyone who takes up employment does so for a reason far greater than themselves. In a country such as South Africa, many young people carry entire families on their backs, working to breaking the chains of poverty.

Life has already been so unkind to them, everyday up to that moment has been a battle. We cannot step into spaces that promise to bring change only have us battling for our hearts and minds. Let it be a collective effort to create spaces of growth and contribution, spaces where we can be valued. May the heart be willing and the flesh be strong.