Key Points:

• Despite the name, quiet quitting is not focused around leaving a job, but the idea of no longer going above and beyond
• Quiet quitting is a behavior that is increasingly spreading in  workplaces, decreasing productivity in many organizations
• Making your employees feel valued and appreciated is one of many ways to avoid quiet quitting before it starts.

What is Quiet Quitting?

Quiet quitting is a growing trend that actually has nothing to do with leaving a job. To some employees, it is a way to avoid burnout by not going above and beyond in their  job. And to others, it is a healthy way to set boundaries for their work-life balance. 

When an employee is quiet quitting, or becomes a quiet quitter, they are completely disengaged from the job. Being able to understand what quiet quitting is and how to spot it among your employees can help you to re-engage them. 

What Does Quiet Quitting Really Look Like?

Quiet quitting can be spotted through classic indicators of diminished motivation and low engagement, as well as complaints from colleagues about the disengaged employee. Some signs of quit quitting include:

• Decrease in productivity
• Sudden change in pushback
• Little volunteering or taking initiative
• Work avoidance 
• Distance 
• Lack of teamwork

It is important to pay attention to your employees and the way they are acting at work. Quiet quitting can put a visible strain on your company, as well as cause a domino effect through your employees. When one employee isn’t working hard, their workload will fall on another worker possibly causing them to disengage as well. 

Stop Quiet Quitting Before It Starts

The best way to stop quiet quitting is to focus on implementing effective employee engagement practices:

Encourage Open Communication

Develop a work culture that makes your employees feel comfortable approaching managers and coworkers. Open communication fosters creativity and innovation, as well as great relationships. When employees are encouraged to share their concerns and ideas freely, they are more likely to have a sense of purpose in your company, increasing their satisfaction and decreasing employee disengagement. 

Listen to Your Employees

Allowing open communication is a great start, but only if you are actively listening to your employees and understand what they need. For example, if an employee expresses that they are overwhelmed by the amount of projects they were given, it is important to actively listen, and take some of that pressure off of them by assigning the extra work to someone else. One way to know what your employees are looking for is through a workplace survey. Surveying is a great way to learn what employees are lacking in order to help them. 

Make Employees Feel Valued

Studies have shown that feeling valued is a key indicator of job performance, making your employees happier, more motivated, and more likely to be engaged in their work. Take the time to acknowledge the hard work of each team member and provide them with constructive feedback.

Create Growth Opportunities 

Not only can growth opportunities potentially increase your employee engagement, it gives your employees something to look forward to. If an employee is unable to move up in the company, it may be easy for them to see no point in working hard anymore and simply give the bare minimum. As an employer, try to offer promotions and pay increases for employees to reach every year.

Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Promoting a healthy balance for your employees is another great way to ensure they are happy and engaged. Giving your employee a flexible schedule and plenty of optional time off is the first step to making sure their work life balance is sufficient. A healthy work-life balance is something that can improve the mental health of your employees as well. 

Conclusion

Quiet quitting is a growing trend in the workplace. It’s important for managers and employers to understand what this trend entails, as well as how to avoid this behavior. If you suspect your employees are quiet quitting, try opening communication with them to see how you can improve the employee experience. 

Happier employees means higher productivity rates.  No matter how you define success, it begins with your people and our talent management software can help you manage them every step of the way.