Another day and another craze sweeps the UK – perhaps the entire working world. Quiet quitting.
It’s currently getting lots of coverage in the press and on social media feeds. But what even is this thing called quiet quitting? And how does it impact business owners, HR professionals, hiring managers and employees?
A beginner’s guide to quiet quitting
For starters, don’t let the name confuse you. This is not about people actually quitting their jobs – despite lots of resigning going on these past couple of years (see several ‘Great Resignation’ articles!). Rather, it’s about an employee continuing with their job but only to the extent of what’s expected of them. In place of ‘going above and beyond’, an employee takes their foot off the work accelerator and applies the brake, opting to do the bare minimum instead of any surplus outside their job description.
That’s no extras. No overtime. And no inbox sneaky peaks of an evening, either!
Who in your company is a quiet quitter?
Here’s our employee. Tired of feeling hard-done-by due to long hours, low pay or some other form of disgruntlement, they check out mentally. With zero aspirations, they do as little as possible each day, likely clock-watching as they go and waiting for the magic hour around 5pm.
Yet if a staff member is miserable, why not just ‘QUIT’ in full? This is the thing. A quiet quitter is not always unhappy in their role - in fact, most quiet quitters love what they do. They just want to do less of it, that’s all! And when you dig a little deeper into why this is happening, you start to appreciate what is driving this collective standpoint and find ways to resolve it.
What makes an employee want to quiet quit?
Managers don’t have to look too far to spot a potential few causes.
How about burnout, for starters? Thanks to the Covid pandemic, a large portion of the UK workforce feels completely spent. While some industries died overnight, others flourished, and there was a delta between the time workers left one sector behind for another to ease the burden. In fact, this never happened in some cases, and employees in the thriving industries were forced into overdrive.
Also driven by Covid is the desire for an easier life. When the world went on pause for a few weeks, many of us quickly got over the initial shock of the life-changing event and began to enjoy the calm it instilled. No more rushing to and from work, no more socialising with friends, no more wild parties. We were forced to quieten down – and quieten down we did. For many people, this reduced-pace existence is preferable over the busy-busy of pre-Covid times, which means starting and finishing work on time and returning home for tea, PJs and a Netflix documentary.
Arm in arm with this comes the recognition of our wellbeing and want to look after ourselves. More workers than ever are putting wellbeing at the top of their priority list – and rightly so. With mental health issues at an all-time high, people must emphasise looking after their minds and bodies.
So, what’s a boss to do about the quiet quitter?
Recognising the quiet quitter
It’s true, most workplaces have their people who prefer to do the bare minimum and always will. Yet these types should not be confused with the quiet quitter. Recognising those people showing a new-found demotivation rather than a long-standing one is crucial to manage them appropriately. Some staff will always want to cruise along, and every company needs its cruisers! It’s those with prior aspirations you want to spot and reach out to quickly before the quiet quit becomes the real deal.
Realising individual needs
Start a conversation with your employee about their behaviour. How are they really feeling about their role, and why? If it’s a genuine disgruntlement towards part of the role, look at any ways to fix it – perhaps some tweaks to their job spec, or even added responsibility if they’re feeling under-utilised. If it’s caused by a situation outside of work most likely to go away in a short timeframe – the stress of a house-move, or a relationship break-up - and you show empathy toward the situation, talking things through, and perhaps offering greater flexibility while your employee resolves their current blip, you will more likely see them return to form quickly.
Resolving ongoing challenges
What about when your quiet quitter raises an issue they feel is a permanent one? It could be their work schedule and having to be in the office for more hours than they would like – something they might feel is rigid yet easily fixed by providing them with a hybrid office/home-based timetable. Perhaps they are suffering from anxiety or stress and need support to deal with increased pressure, whether it’s driven by something inside or outside of work. Again, they may not know the support you can offer them, internal or external, to help them work through their issue.
Quiet quitting: a fad or something for employers to worry about?
It’s likely this latest craze will soon come to pass. In the meantime, as with all thing’s ‘people’, it’s up to leaders and managers to recognise, realise and resolve any issues with your biggest asset: your staff. The cost of retention far outweighs the cost of hiring, and small conversations can often lead to major improvements in productivity.
So, keep an eye out for your quiet quitters and be sure you’re doing everything you can to support them – before they start shouting!
To talk to us about any aspect of your people strategy, please contact us on info@121york.co.uk.