Quiet quitting isn’t about literally quitting one’s job, but about doing the bare minimum of work required and feeling disconnected from one’s work. With polls indicating that quiet quitters make up at least half the workforce, what can companies do?
According to a recent Gallup survey, half of the US workforce is quiet quitting (Constantz, 2022). This trend is pronounced in customer-facing jobs, whereby after the end of COVID-19 shutdowns and restart of operations, there was a significantly higher reduction in employee productivity than in job posts. In short, the high-paced nature of work, the working conditions typical in customer-facing jobs that demand staff to routinely go above and beyond the call of duty to satisfy customers’ demands, the high levels of emotional labor stemming from the expectation to always serve customers with a smile, and the relatively low pay and respect create fertile ground for quiet quitting to flourish.
Quiet quitting provides companies with the opportunity to rethink HRM practices
While COVID-19 and its consequences have fueled quiet quitting from a macro (i.e., societal) level, factors at the micro (i.e., organizational, employee) level have also been propelling this phenomenon. One such factor is employees forsaking the hustle culture mentality. This does not necessarily suggest that employees hate their jobs and careers or that they are slacking at work. It rather indicates that the current organizational culture, which is predominantly directed toward high-performance work systems and competition among employees, is detrimental to employees’ morale, well-being, and work–life balance.
Another reason driving quiet quitting is that the COVID-19 pandemic forced employees to slow down and re-evaluate their lives by questioning how they were spending their time and what moments they were missing out on by themselves and with their loved ones. Thus, rejecting the idea that their entire lives should revolve around work, employees are now willing to redefine their commitment to paid work and focus on what gives them a sense of fulfillment.
Companies will benefit from providing training to managers to deal with quiet quitting. Clarifying job requirements and discussing them with the employee is paramount to identifying discomfort zones and necessary resources. An organizational diagnosis through focus groups and surveys is recommended to collect employees’ feedback regarding their level of satisfaction, work engagement, working conditions, and perception of the organization’s culture. Moreover, managers can evaluate the effectiveness of the organization’s family-friendly practices and policies to promote work–life balance.
Quiet quitting provides companies with the opportunity to rethink HRM practices and to adapt them to the new reality of the labor market and the needs of a new generation of employees. Given the emerging trends in today’s labor market, rethinking the management style, the organization’s culture and HRM practices can help companies retain their employees, motivate them, and build strong employer branding. For example, managers should have regular (weekly) in-depth discussions with their team members to boost their engagement. They should identify and understand employees’ needs and expectations of individual growth and development. And finally, they should communicate what the company can offer to enhance longterm goal achievement, promote transparency and ensure the alignment of organizational and employee needs.
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References
Constantz, J. (2022, September 6). ‘Quiet Quitters’ Make Up Half of the US Workforce, Gallup Finds. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-06/-quiet-quitters-make-up-half-of-the-us-workforce-gallup-finds
