“Quiet quitting” has made headlines recently – and the new trend baffles many business owners and leaders. Here’s how to tell if your teams are engaging in quiet quitting and how to restore a sense of energy and vitality to your workplace.
What is “Quiet Quitting”?
“Quiet quitting” is the practice of doing exactly the tasks listed in the employee’s job description – and nothing else. It’s similar to a longstanding union practice called “working to rule.” Employees do exactly what the terms of their employment ask, but they don’t take on any additional tasks.
Quiet quitting occurs when workers are burned out by additional demands. Burnout zaps employees’ energy, leaving them with no ability to engage with work beyond the minimum requirements of their roles. Quiet quitting represents a gap between what leaders think their workers can achieve and what the workers can actually do.
How to Re-engage Your Workforce
Reversing the effects of quiet quitting isn’t as simple as giving a pep talk – or threatening penalties. Instead, it requires leadership to rethink their approach to workplace culture and management. To re-engage your workforce:
- Review job requirements. If every employee does only what is in their job description and your business suffers as a result, you’ve failed to maintain up-to-date job descriptions. Talk to workers to find out what their job actually requires and update descriptions accordingly.
- Identify skills gaps. In some cases, employees resort to quiet quitting because they don’t have the skills to tackle new or more difficult tasks. Work with managers and team members to identify skills gaps and provide the training and education required to help team members rise to the occasion.
- Provide more help. Quiet quitting is a call for help. It occurs when employees simply can’t keep up with the demands placed on them. Hiring new talent is a great way to distribute work more fairly – and inject new optimism and a fresh perspective into the team.
Finding the Help You Need
Need help revitalizing your workplace? Talk to the team at Odell Studner. We’ll help you review your approach to hiring, insurance, and other business questions, so that you can realize the full value of your business efforts. Contact us today to learn more.
