The first two are pretty self-explanatory, but when I first heard the phrase "quiet quitting," I assumed it meant people resigning from their jobs and not telling anyone. That would make for an interesting workplace: Monday "Where’s Judy ... ?" Tuesday "Where’s Bob ... ?"
As it turns out, quiet-quitting is a misnomer. Rather than quitting their job completely, people who engage in quiet quitting are only quitting from doing more than their job description requires them to do.
Quiet quitting is the notion that employees will take care of their assigned job responsibilities, but nothing more. They won’t stay late at work to finish a project, go above and beyond expectations, or attend non-mandatory meetings. They won’t answer emails outside office hours.
The trend emerged initially via the social video platform TikTok. It has since divided people into two groups: those who believe quiet quitting is a justifiable response to the hardships of the pandemic and a smart way to prevent burnout, and those who believe quiet quitting is an excuse for slacking off.
If someone is taking actions consistent with quiet quitting in order to set boundaries around their work and nurture their wellbeing, this is not necessarily a bad thing for their employer.
While having an employee work less may seem concerning, we know that the number of hours worked does not directly correlate with productivity.
Japan is known for a working culture of extremely long hours and yet it consistently sits near the bottom of OECD productivity tables.
If, by setting boundaries around their work, and focusing on activities related to the core purpose of their role, an employee discovers better focus and more energy, their output is likely to be of higher quality.
Four-day working weeks are being trialled in New Zealand and overseas, with the results showing that people can be just as productive as if they were working a traditional week.
Regular and open communication with your staff is crucial to identifying if quiet quitting is an issue in your business. A good leader knows their people well and will notice if there is a change in behaviour.
If a usually upbeat staff member’s demeanour takes a turn towards the negative, someone who is known for being prompt starts showing up late, or someone who normally takes pride in their appearance begins to look a bit dishevelled, it can be a sign that they are disengaging from their work.
The first step would be to identify if the issue is primarily work-related or one in their personal life that is affecting engagement in their work.
Leaders can be reluctant to venture into this area but if they have put the work into building strong, trusting relationships with their people, the task is much easier. Framing the conversation with "I’ve noticed that [describe the change you’ve observed]. Is there anything going on that I can support you with?" is a good start. There is no judgement implied about the change, just an invitation to talk about it.
If it is an issue in their personal life, empathy and a bit of breathing space while they work through it is sometimes all that is needed. Providing access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) if possible, is another support mechanism that many organisations offer.
In the absence of a personal reason for the apparent disengagement, asking both task-related and people-related questions can help both leader and staff member work out what is behind the change:
- Are they feeling stimulated and challenged by their work?
- Do they feel they have a good variety of tasks?
- Do they have a degree of control over how they achieve their outcomes?
- Is their workload manageable?
- Do they feel valued by the organisation?
- How are their relationships with colleagues?
- Do they get to see the impacts of their work?
Showing genuine care for your employee and a desire to help will encourage openness on their part. Then making a meaningful plan with their input, and acting on it, will show that you are more than just talk. Leaders have more ability than employees to make changes that will have a real impact. For example, such a plan could involve:
- Professional development aimed at the employee’s particular interests.
- A secondment to another part of your business.
- More/less responsibility or client facing work.
- Coaching around conflict or leadership.
- A facilitated meeting with a co-worker they are not getting on well with.
Quiet quitting can be a sign of burn out. All employees (including leaders) should consider what changes they themselves can make to how they work. As you stare down the barrel of the end of 2022, it is a good time to ask yourself:
- Can you take time off this summer to refresh and re-energise (ie leave the laptop off)?
- Do you need a new challenge within your role (eg project, professional learning)?
- Do you need to make a clearer boundary between work and home to be able to fully enjoy both?
- Do you need to step back and do some big-picture thinking about your work, instead of being stuck in the day-to-day tasks or the fighting of fires?
Often the answers to these types of questions come more easily after we have had some decent downtime. Perhaps schedule in some you time when things slow down after Christmas so you can make your own plan.
- Sarah Cross is director of Kakapo Consulting.
