Harry: Why quitting your job could be good for you
Advice from the man with a £100m Netflix deal...
PRINCE Harry has claimed that people quitting jobs that fail to fulfil them should be ‘celebrated’ as they are putting their ‘mental health and happiness first’.
In what may be seen as a thinlyveiled reference to his decision to walk away from the Royal Family with wife Meghan, he said the rise in resignations as a result of the pandemic isn’t ‘all bad’.
The 37-year-old prince, who has a reported £100million deal with Netflix as well as £18million from Spotify, added that ‘with self-awareness comes the need for change’.
He made his comments in what appeared to be a pre-written Q&A session with US magazine Fast Company about his role as ‘chief
Many people around the world have been stuck in jobs that didn’t bring them joy, and now they’re putting their mental health and happiness first. This is something to be celebrated
‘Work in the mental fitness space’
impact officer’ with San Franciscobased start-up firm, BetterUp. He joined the company, which provides tailor-made online coaching and mental health services to businesses and individuals, for an undisclosed salary in March. While there was some confusion about what his job actually was, Harry now says his role spans ‘product strategy, philanthropy and public advocacy related to mental health’. He was asked how ‘increased burnout and job resignations’, which have both been accelerated by Covid, had been addressed by his new employer. Harry replied: ‘I’ve actually discovered recently... that a lot of the job resignations you mention aren’t all bad. ‘In fact, it is a sign that with self-awareness comes the need for change. ‘Many people around the world have been stuck in jobs that didn’t bring them joy, and now they’re putting their mental health and happiness first. This is something to be celebrated.’ He also highlighted his ‘personal beli ef and work in the mental fitness space’.
Again highlighting a parallel with his own life, Harry said: ‘While on the surface it looks like these last couple of years brought all these issues to the foreground, the reality is these struggles and issues have been brewing for quite some time.
‘We’re just at the beginning of the mental health awakening. This work has never been more important because people are finally paying attention, and a big component of this mission is building awareness and continuing to pioneer the conversation.’
Outlining his plans to work with serving and veteran members of the military and their families, Harry said he wanted to ‘envision a world where growth and transformation are possible for everyone, and everyone has access to the support and care they need to thrive – personally and professionally’.
When he was a working royal, Harry was funded by the Prince of Wales out of his private income. Some office and travel costs were also paid for by Buckingham Palace. His father contributed several million pounds towards living costs in the Sussexes’ first year outside the Royal Family, as they pursued lucrative deals in the US.