What is quiet quitting and how to address it

Rhe latest buzzword in the business world is quiet quitting. Although this may sound like someone resigning from their business position, this is actually about a rebellion against the hustle culture of going above your job description with its requirements.

The term quiet quitting has recently been trending on TikTok and, consequently, has been making headlines about what it is and what it means to SME companies.

It can be helpful for a company to seek interim management to help deal with quiet quitters as they can bring expert company culture knowledge to a business.

So, what is quiet quitting?

This could be the first time that many people hear of the term quiet quitting, but the concept itself has been around for a long time.

This doesn’t mean that an employee has resigned and didn’t tell you. That type of quitting isn’t anything new.

Although the term quiet quitting sounds like resigning, this is not what this means at all. In simple terms, a quiet quitter is someone who has become so disengaged with their role that they are only performing the bare minimum to keep their job.

You would think that that just makes the employee seem lazy or like they are slacking, right? In reality, it’s actually that the employee is just re-evaluating their priorities. This could be in search of a more healthy work-life balance or channelling their focus and energy elsewhere like a side hustle.

Why is quiet quitting now trending?

With everything that is happening in the world right now, it’s not surprising that quiet quitting is now trending online.

Due to the pandemic and the Great Resignation, there has been an increase in labour shortages that have resulted in higher workloads that have given rise to burnout among employees and management.

With all the added stress because of increased workloads, some people are seeking alternative employment. However, others have financial woes that are persuading them to stay put out of fear of having a similar issue within their next job.

Sticking with a job that may be exhausting due to the workload can result in employees scaling back on their work to only focus on things specified in their job description.

Disengaged employees can damage the wider team and, in turn, the business as a whole. For smaller businesses, the impact of a quiet quitter can be felt further, quicker.

How to prevent quiet quitting in your business

To stop the impact that quiet quitters can have on your business, you need to address it.

It’s important as a manager or employer to monitor the behaviours of your employees so you can better recognise the signals of a quiet quitter in your team. For example, are they no longer contributing to team meetings or unwilling to take on new challenges or additional work?

An obvious solution to an employee not pulling their weight is to complain. But you need to know when and why this started in the first place so you can avoid this issue arising in the future.

One-to-one meetings are a great way for you to understand the cause of an employee checking out. For example, are they struggling with their workload and needing a helping hand? Is the work not challenging them, which leads to boredom? Are they withdrawing because of difficulties with a co-worker?

Allowing employees to work from home is a great way to encourage a healthy work-life balance which could be holding your employees back. It builds trust with your team by allowing them freedom in their work life.

Expressing your business plans to your team also goes a long way to building trust and encouraging growth. Perhaps there are upcoming projects that your team might want to jump on. Encouraging work socials also gives your team something to look forward to and helps build strength within teams for stronger work relationships.

These sorts of actions, conversions and plans can help disengaged team members decide upon their future at the company.