Type “quiet” in a google search bar and “quiet quitting” appears as the number one suggestion.
What is the “quiet quitting” trend that took the internet by storm and why is it the labor market’s latest and biggest problem?
A Gallup report finds that at least 50% of the U.S. workforce are quiet quitters; in all likelihood, probably more than 50%.
Quiet-Quitting is the term coined for the idea behind the trend that employees are just doing the bare minimum, disengaged, not going above and beyond at work and just meeting their basic job description. 2022 research shows that quiet quitting is not only happening among employees, but also among people managers, and this is particularly problematic. Many HR professionals agree that this is a disturbing trend with an underlying age-old problem.
“The crux of the problem is that employees are no longer buying into the myth that to be successful they have to subscribe to the ‘hustle’ culture and be always available and always ‘on’ 100 percent of the time.” [2]
What is the underlying age-old problem? This social media trend is not about quitting – it’s about burnout. In 2019, burnout was included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Disease as an occupational phenomenon. Contributing factors include expanding workloads, the need for meaningful recognition and promotion, stringent deadlines, and prolonged periods of high stress with no end in sight. Why is this an issue now?
Insert a global pandemic. Covid has empowered people to change and take hold of their outlook on life. Now there is more demand for time to engage in other important things going on in their personal lives. Employees want jobs that complement their lives not disrupt them.
Most HR managers and leaders “are used to doing once-a-year engagement surveys when they should be taking the pulse of people on a daily or weekly basis.”[2]
How often is your organization measuring engagement? According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report the lack of investment in employees is costing companies millions of dollars – $7.8 trillion in lost productivity.
What can this mean to your organization? In order to shift the tide and win employee engagement, employers can choose to identify the root causes and implement strategies to retain, engage, and nourish their workforce.
Below are three simple steps to help you assess if quiet quitting is a problem in your organization, determine what obstacles you may face in 2023, and determine what steps you can take to mitigate foreseeable issues.
SovranHR believes that ethics-based leadership is the only way to ensure performance, motivation, and retention in the long term. We can help you through the process by assessing your organization’s health and employee engagement.
Don’t lose your top talent to quiet-quitting. Welcome 2023 with the right HR professionals for your team.
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SovranHR requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate.
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