The phenomena of ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘quiet firing’ are now having a significant impact on the workplace.
Quiet quitting refers to an employee who, for one reason or another, disengages from work, so they do just the right thing to get by, and certainly don’t overdo themselves. Quiet firing is the management version of this trend: it involves disengaging the employee and not offering them development opportunities in the hope that they will get the message and leave.
Due to the quiet nature of quiet quitting, it can be difficult for managers to spot and combat it. For some employees, quiet quitting is a response to work overload and the fact that the balance between work and private life is not respected by very intrusive managers. In other cases, the employee may simply be struggling to cope with the changing world of work and need more support to re-engage with the company and find meaningful work and perhaps even fun.
Jo Deal, Human Resources Director at GoTo, offers some ideas for reducing quiet quitting. One aspect to consider is how employers have treated their staff over the past two years. Companies that offered adequate support to their employees during this difficult time probably experienced less quiet quitting and fewer resignations than others.
“How much goodwill did you build and how did you think about staff support during COVID, time off, burnout, mental health, all the things everyone was going through,” says Deal. “I think for companies that have been constructive during this time probably see fewer silent quits right now.”
DON’T: Allow your employees to neglect their personal lives in the name of work
Uncontrollable life factors often affect our working day, such as sick children or transportation problems. If it is not easy for employees to deal with a personal emergency, this situation can cause them to disengage, or even disrespect the hierarchy. Mr. Deal explains that it is up to management to show that it is normal to sometimes have to take time off work to solve a problem.
“You know what, c’est la vie,” says Mr. Deal. “So leaders have to set an example, ‘I’m taking my kid to soccer practice, I’ll come back later.’ It gives people permission to say, ‘It’s okay, I can TO DO’.”
DO: Allow your employees to create boundaries around workplace communication
The lines between work and personal life have always been blurred, even before remote and hybrid working became the norm. Being able to take work everywhere – and having co-workers who can contact you at any time – can add to work stress.
This sentiment is especially true for companies whose employees work across multiple time zones. Deal suggests companies allow employees to clearly specify when they will respond to co-workers, what methods of communication are best for urgent situations, and what means are most appropriate when something can wait.
Encourage direct messaging platforms for informal but essential messages, and email for formal and less urgent messages. It’s also good for employees to snooze notifications after a while, and – for example – to snooze Slack or other notifications during meetings to ease the pressure to respond immediately.
“Be very clear with people. Quiet quitting isn’t about giving up; it’s about doing a reasonable amount of work. Help people figure out what’s reasonable,” Deal explains.
DON’T: Lose contact with former employees
To understand the risk of quiet quitting among current employees, stay in touch with former employees and find out what caused them to leave the company. Their perspective can help you improve the culture of current employees and reduce the number of quits. Deal suggests conducting in-depth exit interviews with departing employees and recontacting them six months later to assess their experience in their new job, if they have one.
This possibility of communication six months later can be a return opportunity for some employees. If an employee is unhappy with their new job and wants to come back to your company, see what you can do for them.
Employees who left your company on good terms and then want to return to their old position are called “boomerang employees”, and they can be very beneficial to your company. Boomerang employees cost less to onboard and train, and they already have the skills needed for the job.
But beware: some employees may be reluctant to request the return of their former position. They may fear a backlash from disgruntled former co-workers, or worry about the presence of an employee in the company they didn’t like. But if you’re lucky, it’s an opportunity to see great talent come back to your company.
DO: Offer flexible working hours
Of course, there are times in the workday when employees must attend meetings or collaborate with other employees, and employees must adhere to those working hours. But if employees don’t need to work specific hours, let them focus on the job at hand and not work excessive hours. Mr. Deal suggests focusing on the work provided by employees rather than the hours they put in.
Work flexibility attracts talent, boosts employee morale, increases productivity and retains employees. These factors, if managed well, will reduce the likelihood of quiet quitting and make employees more engaged.
DON’T: Put the burden of quiet quitting on managers
Contrary to popular belief, it is not up to middle managers alone to solve the problem of quiet quitting in the workplace. In fact, it’s likely that your company’s executives are also affected by this phenomenon and are just as likely as employees to quit. This means that managers may need increased support, which is often overlooked.
In the worst case, unsupported managers can ignore struggling employees, which means quiet quitting and quiet firing happen at the same time. This combination creates an infernal cycle, which does not solve any problems and creates new ones.
“Managers are also in a logic of quiet quitting,” says Mr. Deal. “Putting that onus on managers to fix the problem for employees is a bit dangerous because you’re just overburdening a group that’s also struggling.”
DO: Invest in corporate culture and new HR initiatives
If your company is plagued by quiet quitting and quiet firing, it’s time to revisit old HR practices and get creative with creating new ones. Company culture is the cement that allows employees to remain attached to the company. Without a strong culture, employees feel less connected to company values.
This gap is especially true for hybrid and remote work environments, where employees have fewer face-to-face interactions and fewer opportunities to connect with other employees.
Deal suggests investing in opportunities for employees to go online outside of the office if they don’t live in central cities, and increasing the budget for employee training. Increasing the number of face-to-face meetings for employees that are not work-related can strengthen relationships, and creating a graduate hiring pipeline that can help guide new talent into the company is also essential, not only to replace those who leave, but also to bring new ways of thinking into the organization.
Source: “ZDNet.com”