How to Combat Quiet Quitting
Even if you haven’t jumped on Tik Tok lately or been following the news, you may have heard your co-workers or employees talking about the phenomenon of quiet quitting.
Quiet Quitting as a concept has gained popularity after a high profile Tik Tok creator made a video about the topic which has over 2 million views and climbing. This idea of quiet quitting offers a way to avoid burn out and workplace stress.
Quiet Quitting is not actually quitting your job but rather pulling back at work, so you are doing the minimum for your role, and not going above and beyond. It’s risen in popularity amongst the younger generations as a result of the turbulent last few years.
And in a way it’s not surprising considering a recent report by ELMO found that 46% of Australian workers are feeling burnt out. While the stress of the pandemic and the time for self-reflection led to the great resignation of 2021, it seems 2022 might be the year of quiet quitting.
Millennials and Gen Zers are asking themselves if they are really happy in their work roles, and unsubscribing to the damaging hustle culture of young professionals.
How can we combat quiet quitting in the workplace
This recent phenomenon of quiet quitting is obviously an issue that companies and their human resources departments will need to combat. We know that low employee engagement is bad for the bottom line of the business. Companies with high employee engagement enjoy 22% higher productivity and 25% lower staff turnover than their unengaged counterparts.
Treating this problem means looking to the causes and trying to fix these first before an employee becomes unengaged.
Help employees avoid burn out
This concept is gaining popularity largely due to the number of people feeling burnt out. So, to combat it, we should begin by looking at what we are doing to support employees. Foster open communication and make sure the work culture encourages clear differentiation between working hours and personal time. This can help to stop your employees from burning out. You can read all our tips for fighting burn out here.
Give them work they want to do
With quiet quitting has come a time of self-reflection and introspection. Many employees are asking themselves if they are happy doing what they do, and they’re often coming up with a no.
In discussion with your employees, you should seek to find what aspects of their job they enjoy and what new skills they are looking to learn. Then try to shape their role to address this.
Giving them work they want to do will see your employee engagement increase, making for happier, more satisfied employees.
Reward their efforts
If an employee is working hard, going above and beyond, show your appreciation. And not with a free lunch or pizza party. Giving employees a special lunch day or small gift with the company logo on it is just not going to cut it in these difficult economic times.
Wage reviews, promotions and salary bumps are the way to reward their efforts. If the financials don’t allow for an ongoing wage increase, then a bonus or days in lieu to recognise the extra time put in, could be a good solution.
Foster Communication
Once an employee has checked out, it’s incredibly difficult to re-engage them in the workplace. As a result of this culture of burn out there’s been a rise in presenteeism, when an employee comes to work, even though they are burnt out, or sick. Presenteeism reduces individual employee productivity by 33%.
To avoid quiet quitting and presenteeism, companies should seek to foster a culture of open communication. If an employee is feeling undervalued and uninspired by their work, they should be able to discuss their concerns with a direct manager and the two should work together to find a way to make the role work for them.
Final Thoughts
As our workplaces evolve with the changing social landscape and the mounting economic and philosophical concerns of a post-pandemic world, quiet quitting will continue to be an issue.
But a careful and considered approach from companies and their human resources department can combat quiet quitting. Increasing employee engagement, productivity and your company’s bottom line.