Prince Harry says quitting a job to help your mental health is ‘something to be celebrated’

Prince Harry has sparked debate for suggesting that people who quit their job for mental health reasons “should be celebrated”.

The royal made the comments during an interview with Fast Company in which he discussed his role as the Chief Impact Officer at California-based tech start-up BetterUp.

As part of the Q&A, he was asked about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on workplace trends such as resignations and increasing burnout.

Harry argued that not all resignations are a bad thing, as some people are doing it to put their health and wellbeing first.

Harry said: “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.

Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

“This is something to be celebrated.”

Prince Harry has worked at the Silicon Valley mental health startup since March and said he believes we are at the start of a “mental health awakening”.

He 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.”

However, Harry’s comments have ruffled some feathers, particularly among conservative political commentators.

GB News contributor Darren Grimes said: “Prince Harry says ‘quit your job if it doesn’t bring you joy’, we can’t all trade Queen & Country for whackery & wokery in California, Harry!”

But, others agreed, citing their own experiences of leaving a job that was causing them stress.

One person wrote: “Prince Harry is absolutely right when he says you must leave the job, which you no longer enjoy and which causes you grief, in favour of your mental health.

“I did this after 20 plus years in education and I’ve never been more relaxed. I start my dream job in January 2022.”

Another agreed, writing: “Prince Harry is right. Some would say ‘but you need money to live?’

“The truth is depression affects not only you but your family & friends,  it’s counterproductive to you & your employer. If you are unhappy you should quit and make room for better things to come.”