What Is Quiet Quitting?
As you’ve probably learned, “quiet quitting” is a new term to represent employees who complete precisely the work they were hired to do—no more and no less. Quiet quitters are likely to sign off at 5 pm no matter what, ignore messages that come in after hours or on weekends, and decline opportunities to take on additional projects outside their typical scope.
There are two prevailing views about quiet quitters. One praises their ability to set and enforce boundaries, refusing to let work creep into every aspect of their lives. The other deems them lazy and unmotivated, doing the bare minimum not to get fired with no career goals or ambition.
In either case, it’s in employers’ best interests to mitigate quiet quitting by encouraging active engagement and fostering a boundary-friendly workplace. Of course, the two concepts can coexist, and it’s up to employers to create an engaging and empowering culture for employees. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at eight strategies to prevent quiet quitting among your team members.
Strategies to Prevent Quiet Quitting
1. Promote a healthy work-life balance
In some cases, “quiet quitting” is simply a devotion to a healthy work-life balance. When you promote policies like ending the workday on time, not checking email after hours, taking PTO as needed, and genuinely disconnecting while on vacation, your employees are more likely to be focused and engaged when they are on the clock.
2. Develop an employee recognition program
If employee effort often goes unnoticed, it should be no surprise that they don’t want to go the extra mile. So instead, make sure you have a system to recognize employees when they do great work (and if you need help figuring out where to start, check out the tips in this blog). Whether you give tokens of appreciation or acknowledge a job well done, you’d be surprised at how quickly things can change when your employees feel valued for their work.
3. Avoid overworking your team
Next, make sure you’re not expecting too much from your employees in the first place. Burnt-out employees are prime targets for quiet quitting—they can only take so much stress and pressure before they throw in the towel. If you’re assigning too much work or enforcing unrealistic deadlines, ease up to make the workload more sustainable over time. Then, avoid burnout in the future with these tips.
4. Offer flexible work options
The pandemic offered many employees flexible work conditions for the first time, and many workers aren’t willing to give up those perks. Try accommodating requests to work remotely and flexible hours to better fit your employees’ lives. As a result, they’ll likely be happier and more committed to their work.
5. Provide learning and development opportunities
Many employees give up on their roles when they realize there’s no growth trajectory. Avoid quiet quitting by providing opportunities to continue to learn and grow over time. Make these resources available to your employees and encourage their growth as a key contributor. They’ll be more likely to step up to the challenge when they have goals and clear next steps to work towards.
6. Revisit compensation and benefits packages
Employees who are underwhelmed by compensation and benefits packages may be more likely to check out mentally. If they feel they’re not adequately rewarded for their work, why would they take on additional work for no reason? Employee benefits go a long way toward making your team feel respected and valued at work. Here’s a hint—start with the four sought-after benefits we outline in this article.
7. Dedicate resources to improving company culture
Company culture can be hard to define, but if quiet quitting is spreading among your workforce, your culture may be to blame. First, look for signs that you’re promoting collective success and collaboration. Then, make a concerted effort to start prioritizing employee well-being and happiness instead. When team members are proud to contribute to your company’s culture, you’ll likely see a boost in engagement.
8. Promote mental health awareness
Finally, remember that mental health plays a critical role in employee engagement. Employees struggling with mental health may have a more challenging time giving more than the bare minimum at work. Instead of punishing their lack of ambition, offer support at the source by promoting the importance of mental health and providing resources for them to get outside help. This article will give you some ideas about promoting mental health awareness in your workplace.
While quiet quitting is a new term, the concept it describes has been around for decades. After all, companies have always struggled with keeping employees engaged long-term. Thankfully, the strategies above can help you retain happy, successful employees.
Contact our team to learn more about boosting employee engagement and retention in the age of quiet quitting!
