With the business world still reeling from the impact of the Great Resignation, quiet quitting has emerged as a new trend gaining attention on social media. Today, this new term seems to be perplexing business leaders who are trying to better understand the whole phenomenon.
According to employees subject to quiet quitting, they decided to do no more than their job description required, refusing to go above and beyond for their bosses. Many reasons, such as overwhelming workload, disrupted work-life balance, and lack of appreciation, can cause employees to start quitting quietly. For this reason, many would say that silent leaving is just a new name for employee disengagement, an old problem that managers often face.
While opponents of this trend believe it is an excuse for laziness and slacking, others, according to a Gallup survey, believe poor management is at the heart of silent abandonment, claiming that employees will not go the extra mile for poor and ineffective leadership.
Bad managers fail to recognize the warning signs of burnout, and a lack of open and honest communication in the workplace can prevent employees from speaking out about burning issues. So they decide to express their discontent by quietly resigning, trying to preserve a minimal work-life balance and their mental health.
But is quiet departure the most effective way to combat burnout and show management that it must adapt to the new needs of employees?
While sticking to the bare minimum and refusing to take on more on your plate may be a short-term solution to prevent employees from sliding into burnout, this solution cannot work in the long term.
So instead of choosing to quit quietly, here are several things you can do to combat burnout and stay healthy and happy at work.
Become more time efficient
The truth is that remote working has introduced a better work-life balance rarely seen in workplaces before the Covid-19 pandemic. And employees want to maintain this essential balance in the post-Covid era. But instead of keeping your efforts to a minimum, try to be more efficient at work and accomplish more in less time.
Effective tools such as employee tracking software that tracks time and activities during work hours can be of great help. This app will collect data on employees' daily activities, track time spent on various tasks and projects, and show you how their productivity flows throughout the day.
You can use this data to identify the most productive part of your day and dedicate that time to focused, creative work that leads to quality results. You can also identify distractions that prevent you from using your time effectively and eliminate them from your workflow. By making the most of your working hours, you'll feel less overwhelmed by your workload and more productive.
Identify the reasons for disengagement
Employees inclined to quit quietly will say they are unhappy with their job. But few of them will identify the reasons for their dissatisfaction.
Whether you're overwhelmed by the countless tasks ahead of you or you think your past efforts have gone unnoticed, you need to be clear about it and verbalize your problems.
Only by identifying the causes of employee disengagement can you take effective steps to resolve this problem. This proactive attitude to resolving work-related issues is better than sticking to a silent resignation in the long run.
Talk to your bosses before turning to social media
The silent resignation came into the limelight after a short Tik Tok video. Shortly after this first video, similar videos on the topic gained astonishing traction with over 354 million views.
The scariest part about this phenomenon is that this trend is silent. This shows that the majority of employees today work in psychologically unsafe environments, afraid to speak out on burning issues. They therefore decide to settle for the bare minimum while waiting to find a better job.
You may have justifiable reasons for no longer putting in extra effort at work, such as working overtime, or not getting enough recognition for your accomplishments or career development opportunities. But using social media to talk about poor management or working conditions will not bring you the results you want or improve your status at work.
The only way to start looking for solutions to these problems is to try to talk openly about them with your managers. Talking about problems is the first step towards solving them. So be specific about the things that bother you and don’t hesitate to propose concrete solutions to these problems.
Employee engagement is the manager’s responsibility
The success of every business depends on the efficiency and productivity of employees. That’s why leaders’ top priority should be keeping employees happy, healthy, and satisfied. Unfortunately, the growing trend of silent resignation shows that this is not the case in many workplaces around the world.
If you're experiencing a drop in productivity due to quiet departures, it might be a good idea to question your leadership style.
The fact is that the Covid-19 pandemic has forever changed the perspective of the workplace and the needs of employees. And you need to recognize this and adapt quickly to these changes if you want your employees to remain productive and highly engaged in their work.
First, you need to listen carefully to their suggestions and make a real effort to meet their needs for increased flexibility and autonomy. By adopting hybrid or remote working, you will help your employees improve their work-life balance.
Additionally, you need to provide ongoing training and learning opportunities as well as frequent feedback if you want your employees to thrive professionally and give their best at work.
By fostering open communication and showing genuine interest in your employees beyond the workplace, you can build trust and better understand why they are quietly quitting. When your employees realize that you care about their feedback and are willing to make necessary changes, they can get back on track and become highly productive again.