“Quiet Quitting” – Everything old is new again!

“Quiet Quitting” is the latest buzz word for what has been an age-old problem for organizations – employees who, when they do show up for work, only do the bare minimum to “get bye”.  For some employees, it means setting boundaries and not taking on additional work, for others it just means not going above and beyond, and some see it as a way to “stick it” to their employers who they believe only see them “as another cog in the machine.”

As so often happens, successive generations seem to have a need to repackage or rename things.  For example, what used to be “stuck in a rut” is now “lifestyle fatigue” and a “lack of engagement” is now called ‘Quiet Quitting”.  According to a new survey from Gallop, “at least half of all U.S. workers now do the bare minimum of what’s required from them at their jobs” while only 32% are engaged at work”.

Far be it for me to rain on any one’s parade, but this isn’t something new.  According to Gallop’s own data, “In 2010, 28% of American workers were engaged.  By the end of 2012 that number increased slightly to 30%, matching the all-time high since Gallup began tracking the employee engagement levels of the U.S. working population in 2000.”  So, according to the data, over the past 20 or so years, the percentage of engaged workers has fluctuated for 28 to 32 percent while approximately 50 percent of workers are not engaged (quietly quitting).  As I noted in my opening paragraph, this is an age-old problem, engagement (or a lack thereof) has always been with us.  Quiet quitting is what some employees do and have always done.

So, how can employers fix this issue?  Just as “quit quitting” is an age-old problem, the solutions have always been before us.  I addressed this issue in one of my newsletters almost 20 years ago.  So, in the spirit of “Everything old is new again”, the following seven suggestions are excerpts from that newsletter:

1. Pride in the Organization — Managers must positively, honestly, and continually communicate your organizational strategies, values, and successes to employees. They should take time to talk with their employees about what brought them to your organization as well as defining the organization’s values, mission, and definitions of success.
2. Job Fit — Managers must make it clear how employees’ performance align with the overall company strategy and goals. This involves making sure all information that would benefit employees gets to them as quickly as possible.
3. Nature of the Job — Where possible, managers should structure an employee’s job with clear expectations that consider the interests of the employee as well as making sure there is a “skill match” to the position. Managers need to discover what is unique about each person and capitalize on this uniqueness.
4. Trust-Integrity-Credibility — Managers need to protect their personal credibility by following through on commitments and by giving honest and complete answers to questions and challenges. Further, if a manager makes a mistake, he/she needs to own up to it and do what is possible to make amends.  Leaders must always remember that people judge actions and not intentions.
5. Supportive Culture — Managers need to capitalize on everyone’s strengths and let employees know their importance to the team. They need to communicate in ways that show the team is valuable and that individual success is tied to group success.
6. Emotional Connection — Manager need to develop rapport with their employees. This is all about “Emotional Intelligence”. A manager has to understand how his/her emotions help or hinder them in their interactions with employees.  In addition, managers need to develop an awareness of their employees’ needs and then respond appropriately.
7. Employee Development — Where possible, manager should actively assist in and identify a viable career path for their employees. Most organizations gravitate toward promotion by grade or position, but there are other options as well like moving to a different department. When managers discuss the various options—beyond just promotions—employees see a viable career path at your organization.

Employee engagement is all about discretionary effort, employees going above and beyond even when they don’t need to do so.  Managers who use the above engagement strategies will be doing their part to help develop and retain employees who want to work for your organization.

We have the tools, means, and experience to help you.  Talk to us, we’d like nothing more than to help you and your organization.