PhD Reveals The Rare ‘Power Move’ Bosses Can Use To Make Workers Happier — But They Hardly Ever Do It
“You’re not working just to work. You’re working so you can enjoy your life outside of work.”
fizkes / Shutterstock If you’re constantly checking your email on the weekends, fighting debilitating “Sunday Scaries,” or struggling to find time to spend with family throughout the week, chances are you’re not being supported by a great team at work.
The workplace anxiety and job stress these employees feel is more often than not a symptom of bad leadership or a toxic workplace environment — something that business coach and Ph.D. Dr. Dan Flint condemned in a recent TikTok. Great bosses, on the other hand, intentionally use strategies to cultivate healthier spaces.
Dr. Flint argued that there’s one uncommon ‘power move’ leaders can use to build trust and boast happier workers in the office.
“There’s one power move that leaders use to gain respect and productivity from their teams,” Flint said. “The problem is, this power move is way too rare.”
While many professional creators on TikTok hyperfocus on tips for workers to maintain their own workplace boundaries, this business coach is focused on promoting a “top-down” narrative.
Leadership starts at the top, and great bosses should be more concerned about work ethic than productivity. They should prioritize their workers’ general happiness, fulfillment, and balance, as well. Cultivating a healthy workplace culture — where employees are motivated to work hard, stay productive, and invest their energy — starts with making sure they feel supported in every aspect of their lives.
According to Flint, a great boss values your work-life balance.
“This power move is that [bosses] actually respect your work-life balance,” he admitted, “maybe even more than you do. They demonstrate that they know you relaxing, you getting your energy levels recharged, spending time with your family, spending time on your own, doing whatever you want to do outside of work … is key to you being productive.”
Of course, actions speak louder than words, especially when it comes to daily workplace dynamics. If your boss is promising you time off, urging you to “recharge for work,” and asking you to take breaks, that means nothing when they’re also flooding your email on the weekends or adding projects to your full workload.
Your time off, away from work, should be exactly that: time for you to relax without thinking about work, emails, your workload, or the stress of an upcoming week. Recharging outside of work is just for you, not for the productivity you should be bringing after coming back from a vacation or arriving at work on Monday morning.
“If your workweek is Monday to Friday, they’re the ones on Friday afternoon that say, ‘Hey, take a break. Don’t think about work. Don't work during the weekend. I’ll see you on Monday — have fun!’" he noted. "Even if they’re working on their own, they’ll let you relax.”
A boss who prioritizes your well-being, balance, and happiness — both at work and outside — is a better leader.
With thousands of workplace horror stories, toxic bosses, and rising accounts of burnout in corporate spaces, finding a role that both supports your success and advocates for your rest is rare. While Pew Research reports the majority of workers have a positive view of their boss, many can’t help but prioritize work, productivity, and their workplace identity above all else.
Great bosses break the cycle of this hyper-centric workplace attitude, advocating for their employees’ time by reminding them that they should enjoy their personal space and breaks. Of course, great leaders also need to be mindful of their workplace productivity, yet oftentimes, prioritizing employee happiness does that for them.
“They don’t charge ahead, pressing you 7 days a week until you break,” Flint added. “This power move by leaders is rare, but it gains them respect and productivity from their teams.”
According to him, most great leaders make space for employee rest because they do so for themselves. They’re successful, productive, and fulfilled from maintaining their own work-life balance.
People with good bosses feel supported in their roles, but people with great bosses feel supported in their personal lives, as well. Whether it’s financial comfort, work-life balance, or mental stability from restful breaks, great leaders put their employee’s humanity before their role as employees.
It’s unfortunately rare in a world dominated by toxic corporate spaces, misguided workplace relationships, and incredible employee burnout rates, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from searching for a job, role, or boss that helps you achieve this level of fulfillment and peace while maintaining a comfortable livelihood.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.