On the heels of The Great Resignation, a new trend is affecting businesses everywhere: employees silently quitting. What is silently quitting, and how can you protect your organization from its implications?
What Does Silently Quitting Mean?
Silently quitting–or quiet quitting–describes a range of behaviors exhibited by employees who are disengaged, frustrated, or otherwise unproductive.
Experts say the pandemic has led to an increase in these behaviors, due to health and wellness becoming a bigger priority to employees across the globe.
Quiet Quitting Examples
Some of the signs of quiet quitting include:
- Frequently expressing cynicism and negativity
- Appearing checked out, disengaged, and/or disinterested
- Providing unusually low-quality work
- Not completing projects on time and/or procrastinating tasks
- Not speaking up in meetings
- Not volunteering for projects or tasks.
If your employees exhibit any of these behaviors, it may be time to check in, ask how they’re doing, and see if you can be of support in any way.
Quiet Quitting Backlash
Silently quitting can be as detrimental to your organization as employees actually leaving–or worse. When an employee is silently quitting their job, the work they would normally be doing falls onto their teammates. This can result in more burnout and poor morale among your staff–not to mention, poor overall performance at your organization.
Is Quiet Quitting Good?
Initially, silently quitting may reduce stress for employees suffering from burnout. Taking on only as much work as one can handle is healthy, according to a 2021 study involving healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s not without risks to your organization, as a whole.
If employees are silently quitting in response to quiet firing–or feeling under-supported or “pushed out” by management–this may be an opportunity to start cultivating a healthier, more connected workplace environment.
How to Reduce Quiet Quitting at Your Organization
1. Encourage Engagement.
Engaged employees are less likely to silently quit. Issue employee satisfaction surveys and conduct one-on-one interviews to check in with your employees, ask how they’re doing, and identify any issues causing dissatisfaction..
Even if your organization operates remotely, bring teammates together regularly to encourage connection. This will help everyone remember they’re part of something larger than themselves, making them more likely to engage with a positive, productive attitude.
2. Listen and Implement Feedback.
Employees may silently quit if they feel their concerns aren’t being taken seriously. So make it a point to get their input, listen to what they have to say, and implement any feasible suggestions. Showing your employees they matter fosters a cooperative, productive team.
3. Prioritize Employee Wellness.
Encouraging your staff to adopt healthy lifestyle habits can reduce stress and burnout, thereby preventing quiet quitting. One way to do this is by providing a corporate wellness program.
Corporate wellness programs foster a healthier, more engaged and productive work environment while providing education and lifestyle skills for your staff. Healthier, happier employees exhibit higher morale, job satisfaction, and company commitment.
Prevent Silently Quitting with a Workplace Wellness Program Management Solution
Workplace wellness platforms like Wellics can give your organization powerful tools to improve employee health and gain meaningful insights into metrics like productivity and engagement that can reduce the occurrence of employees silently quitting. It’s an all-in-one-resource to track employee performance and results–so you know exactly how your team is doing.
Discover everything on how Wellics employee wellness platform can help your employees thrive today.
Sources
- https://www.investopedia.com/the-great-resignation-5199074
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/tiktok-quiet-quitting-explained/
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-77825-005
