A Leader's Response to Quiet Quitting
What is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting is the pursuit of doing the bare minimum at work as popularized on TikTok. In essence, you do exactly what is required of you without contributing more or trying to climb the corporate ladder. It isn’t a movement to be lazy as much as it is a movement to reach a healthy work-life balance. Here’s what it looks like: You arrive for work on time (not early), you do the tasks you are required to do, but only those. You take your lunch break in the break room, no more working lunches. You leave on time and turn off email and other work notifications. No after-hours work or responses. There is no volunteering for additional projects or work-community activities. You do not participate in any outside work-sponsored events. You don’t step in when someone is struggling with a project or needs help organizing one of the events. You do the bare minimum and check out when you go home. Sound like anyone on your team?
For many Gen Z and Millenials, finding a new job where work-life balance is valued became a motivating benefit to changing roles. For those who couldn’t quit or move jobs, quiet quitting became a way to achieve that balance. It is by no means a new concept. Before it gained a name, employees behaved similarly by disengaging and doing the very least they could and still retain employment without pride or care in their work. The difference now lies in the rise in young employees participating in this mindset.
In the healthcare industry, most employees are not participating in quiet quitting, but a significant trend has been noted as employees are disengaging and refusing to take on extra shifts or extra tasks. As budgets tighten and staff loads grow, the effects of quiet quitting can be catastrophic for patients and patient outcomes.
"Any lack of engagement on the part of staff ultimately impacts patient care, teamwork, safety, and throughput, all of which impact the financial health of an organization and the patient experience. It's incredibly important for leaders to focus on engagement, growth opportunities, and to recognize and reward hard work. These are a few ways to focus on your employees to help them feel engaged with their work," - Jeremy Sadlier
A counterpart to quiet quitting has risen to meet the stress created by the younger generation’s trend. Some leaders and managers are participating in quiet firing, an act of encouraging some employees to quit in the traditional sense. Both behaviors are thought to result from a passive-aggressive culture festering in the workplace. Quiet quitting and quiet firing may be the next human resource disruption going forward. Much like the great resignation, the newly coined phrases may hold the power to catalyze important job and career reevaluations. Merely giving names to these behaviors has given voice to frustrations that can arguably be stated as having existed for a long time.
Why Has It Gained Traction?
Many of the frustrations leading to quiet quitting stem from burnout and stress created or intensified by pandemic pressures. Statistics show that 98% of professional women and 90% of men feel their talents aren’t recognized, they communicate from fear not strength, they are reluctant to ask for what they consider to be deserved, they are isolated from influence, they give in instead of standing up, they lose sight of life dreams/goals, and they allow the past to define them. Additionally, 75% of women surveyed report experiencing three or more of these gaps at the same time. These frustrations do not allow employees to thrive in their work environment.
Not all Gen Z workers buy into the 24/7, always-on, above-and-beyond work lifestyle their parents accepted. Instead, they are considering doing the minimum required without seeking the corporate ladder climb. They feel quiet quitting will resolve their burnout and reduce their stress levels, bringing about a better work-life balance. Unfortunately, there is no proof of that theory. Early thoughts point to the contrary. Employees who create more work for others engender a new type of stress. While Gen Z reportedly quiet quits because capitalism has let them down, they don’t feel adequately compensated with current benefits, and they feel they first need proof they will be kept if they put in the work, quiet quitting fails to resolve these complaints.
What Can A Leader Do?
“The issue might not rest solely with your employees—it’s with your managers as well, and the passive-aggressive culture that’s festering in the workplace.“ –Ashley Lutz
While employees quiet quit for a variety of reasons, it’s the manager’s/leader’s job to keep them engaged so they are less likely to quit or be poached. Engagement begins with employees feeling that they are doing meaningful work. Without meaningful work, it’s just a job. Leaders are advised to provide careful listening and advocacy, set and maintain realistic expectations, monitor engagement, recognize and reward accomplishments, and create a psychologically safe culture. Take time as a leader to understand what isn’t working for your team members and encourage your employees to be clear and transparent in their communication as you model the same. Set healthy work boundaries and help your team members prioritize - especially your newer, younger employees. Connect with those you lead on an appropriate and authentic level.
One-on-one conversations are the perfect environment to help younger employees break down larger projects into bite-sized tasks that do not overwhelm them. Honor their time away from the office by putting email on send delays and connecting with them only during business hours. Finally, encourage everyone to learn to lean into less by finding ways to focus on efficiency and the elimination of unnecessary tasks. Be cautious that quiet quitting may not stem from work stress alone. Encourage employees to create healthy boundaries to preserve their home life.
By creating an environment in which employees can pursue work that is meaningful to them, while at the same time protecting them from task overload in a fear-based culture, employees can find a more productive and fulfilling alternative to quiet quitting.