What is quiet quitting and how can you avoid it?

Is ‘quiet quitting’ really a new trend in the workplace or has it simply become more obvious in the wake of Covid-19? Mia Neupauerova explains.

It’s an interesting question. And one which has been receiving a lot of media attention in recent weeks. 

The workplace is constantly evolving as new technologies, changing approaches to management and economic developments affect the way we work. More recently, of course, the pandemic led to a significant change in the working environment as pressures emerged on work-life balance, employee wellbeing and job security. And, of course, many office-based workers moved to a ‘working from home’ model.  

Let’s define quiet quitting

To put it simply, it’s about doing the bare minimum at work, starting and finishing on time every day, taking your allocated breaks and turning down any tasks that fall outside your day-to-day responsibilities.  

The term caught the popular imagination in July when American TikTokker @zaidlepplin posted a video that went viral. As he puts it, ‘You’re still performing your duties but you’re no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life.’ 

Seems reasonable when you look at it like that! Hustle culture glorifies overworking as a badge of honour, taking on extra jobs, working unpaid overtime and always going the extra mile. All in the name of a better job title or a bigger salary. This can be toxic, causing mental exhaustion and leading to burnout. 

And let’s not kid ourselves, it’s been around for a while. After the last recession in 2008 a lot of jobs were cut but, the fact is, the work was still there, and someone had to do it. Even I can remember the demands changing. Doing more in less time or for the same money.  

Is work a four-letter word?

I wonder whether a long-term trend of piling too much work on to a business’s employees has led to burnout and people feeling they’ve simply had enough. Combine it with two years of furlough or working from home – where many people realised that there is more to life than just work – quiet quitting slowly crept in.  

As BBC News reported recently, ‘an increasing number of young workers have grown tired of not getting the recognition and compensation for putting in extra hours. They’re saying no to burnout, and instead focusing on work-life balance. The movement is centred around self-preservation and “acting your wage”’. 

Many people are exhausted and the uncertainty we currently live in doesn’t help.  

What’s worse, managers themselves are busy with their own jobs and don’t have time to build strong relationships with their staff. I’ve certainly heard comments like, ’I don’t have time to have one-to-ones with my team members. We’ve even stopped appraisals because we have so much to do!’ And this, I believe, is where the problem of quiet quitting lies.  

Like any other relationship, when you are personally invested in it, you want to genuinely help each other to succeed. You have their back and if there is a problem, you find time to sit down and talk. Preferably before it escalates to the point of no return. 

In other words, work needn’t be a four-letter word. But can be rewarding for employers and employees alike.   

Together we can do so much

Just think about your relationships at home. What happens if you don’t talk to your partner? What happens if one of you doesn’t fully communicate your frustrations? One of you either closes up until you realise you no longer have anything in common or there is an explosion of built-up tension.  Even in intimate relationships, the best way to prevent this from happening and building strong bonds is to talk and find time for each other.  

Why shouldn’t the same apply to relationships at work? What do you think will happen if your employees can’t share their frustrations with you on a regular basis? How can you expect positive outcomes if you don’t communicate your expectations clearly, whilst also checking progress and providing constructive feedback to nip any problems in the bud?  

As social beings, we do need to communicate on different levels not just take orders from each other. Some need this more than others. Many profiling tools can provide you with a good idea of who you have in your team and how they like to interact. You can get the same result with personal questionnaires. But not those where you simply tick a box. Just like me and you, everyone wants and needs to feel valued and feel that they matter.  

From experience, I know that 98% of people are not motivated purely by money. For some, it’s growth and new skills they can learn, For others, it’s job security. Some people love variety, if that’s what the job offers. And there are people who enjoy the social aspect and the sense of belonging within their ‘work family’.  

Building trust

So, what can you do to stop your employees quietly quitting?  

A fascinating study in the Harvard Business Review suggests that ‘quiet quitting is usually less about an employee’s willingness to work harder and more creatively, and more about a manager’s ability to build a relationship with their employees where they are not counting the minutes until quitting time.’ 

So, you need to show them that you care. Pay them what they’re worth. Get to know your staff personally. Learn what you have in common (because we like people who are like us) but also learn from your differences. Every team member will be on a different journey. Some might need a more stable and predictable environment; others will need to move on to the next exciting task. But even this can change for individuals depending on their personal circumstances. This is why regular catch-up sessions are essential.  

Invest in team-building activities. You might believe that training is expensive but look what happens if you don’t do it. If your employees are already quietly quitting, it’s only a matter of time before they start to leave for a more fulfilling work environment. And then you will have to pay for recruitment and training, and wait to see if you’ve hired the right person. If you don’t make your employees feel valued, heard and understood, as well as provide motivations that suit individuals, you will find yourself in the same place a few months or years later.  

Quiet quitting may just be a new name for an old problem. But if you’re a bit confused by all this or don’t know where to start, don’t worry – drop me a line at mia@neupauer.org to arrange a free no-obligation call to find out if I can help you look after your employees more effectively and build a more inclusive workplace.