Combat Quiet Quitting in Your Organization

Why Are Employees Quiet Quitting? 

• Disengaged and disconnected: Employees underwent major shifts during the pandemic. Layoffs, remote work, and now back-to-office mandates or hybrid scheduling – these sudden changes could be causing a disconnect. According to a recent study by Gallup, 16% of employees are actively disengaged in 2022 compared to 14% in 2020.
• Lack of growth and development opportunities: Employees can feel they've reached a dead end in their current roles when growth opportunities seem limited. This feeling can build without a clear career path within the organization and the resources needed to develop their skills. 
• Underpaid or overworked: Over the last year, turnover rates were at an all-time high - forcing employees who stayed at their jobs to take on more job responsibilities without additional compensation. Companies that overwork their employees risk a greater chance of burnout and building a toxic culture. 
• Setting work boundaries: The pandemic left employees exhausted and burnt out. They are no longer interested in sacrificing their work-life balance or well-being for a job – putting an end to the once popular hustle culture.  

Identifying Potential Quiet Quitters 

It is important to recognize signs that could potentially indicate a quiet quitter on the team, otherwise, you may risk negatively impacting employee satisfaction, team dynamics, and the work environment for other employees. Here are some of the most common signs to look out for: 

• The employee seems disengaged from their work or the team 
• You notice a lack of participation in group meetings or brainstorming sessions 
• Their productivity or quality of work is declining 
• The employee seems disinterested in participating in team-building events  

Combating Quiet Quitting 

Whether your team has a few quiet quitters or not, the trend is likely to affect your workforce sooner or later. Consider implementing these tactics to prevent the issue from spreading in your organization:  

Build a Culture of Connection  

Communication is key to preventing an employee from becoming disengaged. Frequent team and one-on-one meetings are important to ensure employees know what is expected of them and have what they need to succeed in their roles. Plus, these weekly syncs can foster strong employee-manager relationships and can be a good time to discuss career goals and growth opportunities. 

Communication is a two-way street, leaders should offer various feedback opportunities to keep a pulse on employee satisfaction. Whether you leverage surveys, assessments, or company-wide meetings, it's important to truly listen to your employees' needs. 

Invest in Your Employees 

One of the top reasons people quit last year was a lack of career development and growth opportunities. Organizations must play an active role in building career paths that align with the interests of both the employee and the company's goals. Investing in adequate resources and programs to grow employees is a big part of an effective retention strategy.  

Ask your employees about their interests and career goals – are there particular skills they want to develop or leverage? Is there a specific project they want to be a part of? From there, you can build a career map with potential opportunities and resources to support their professional growth. Implementing a flexible career path allows employees to have visibility into their future at your organization and can directly impact their motivation, career satisfaction, and productivity.  

Part of keeping employees engaged is keeping them excited about their future and letting them have a say in their careers. According to a LinkedIn Workplace Report, 94% of employees would stay at a job longer if they had access to career development. 

Plan Your Workforce

Workforce planning helps forecast business demands and identify current gaps to determine whom you need to hire and when. Part of this includes assessing the skills of existing employees and placing them in roles where they can leverage them – improving engagement and retention. Effective workforce planning also helps identify skill gaps so leaders can provide the necessary training and resources to develop existing employees for the future. Proactively preparing for the future needs of your business will help you maintain adequate staffing levels and avoid overburdening your existing staff. 

Recognize and Reward Your People 

Quiet Quitting, for some, isn't about avoiding work; it's about lacking a sense of purpose. It is important to show employees how their contributions can impact the business's overall success. Employees are more likely to go above and beyond when they know their work is valued and making a difference. 

Organizations should create fair and consistent recognition and promotion guidelines to help employees feel seen. Monetary compensation will of course be welcomed by employees, but a simple "thank you," or other forms of recognition can go a long way to help your employees feel valued.  

At Hueman, we recognize employees with weekly, quarterly, and annual Core Value Awards, commending workplace representations of our company-wide core values. We also reward employees who demonstrate a world-class level of service to their clients or colleagues.

Interested in learning how an RPO partner can support your talent acquisition needs? Connect with us today!