Quiet Quitting: WTH is it and why should managers care?
If you haven’t already heard of quiet quitting, it’s only a matter of time. Today we’re talking about the movement that’s been spreading internationally amongst employees who feel they’ve reached a breaking point.
Quiet quitting is a new buzzword and trend that’s taken off on social media. The term can be confusing at first, as it doesn’t actually involve anyone quitting their job. Instead, quiet quitting means doing your job and nothing else. But let’s expand.
Clocking out at 5PM. Sticking to the tasks associated with your role.
Quiet Quitting is a new concerning trend that has emerged amongst burnt out employees. In this article, we’ll demystify what quiet quitting is, how it emerged, and what employers can do to prevent it.
What is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet Quitting is when an employee does not quit their job in the literal sense, but has decided to no longer go above and beyond at work. That means clocking out at 5PM, limiting out-of-hours meetings and calls, and performing the duties associated with their role and not more. This concept has been resonating strongly with Gen Z and Millennials at a time when burnout is reported as being at an all time high.
Where did it come from?
Quiet Quitting seems to have branched out of a similar movement in China, a country known for its strict work ethic. In China, the movement called “lying flat” or tang ping recently exploded. This movement protested against the culture of being overworked and underpaid. The saying “lying flat” follows the belief that when people work they stand up but when they finally rest, they lie down. Since then, the sentiment of this movement has started to resonate in other countries around the world.
Quiet Quitting is a response to Hustle Culture
In many ways, quiet quitting grew legs off of the ‘Great Resignation’. People have been re-evaluating their priorities and expressing their dissatisfaction with employers after the effects of the pandemic. Quiet quitting is in direct contrast to the “hustle culture” that’s been popularized over the past two decades which promotes working in excess to hopefully achieve a raise and promotion. You could even say that quiet quitting is the result of hustle culture killing itself.
Remember what inspirational quotes from business leaders used to (and still often do) look like?
“No one ever changed the world on 40 hours a week,” tweeted Elon Musk. The space-chaser also recommended reaching 80 hours per week, and possibly “peaking at 100.” This is modest really, in comparison to Marissa Mayer whom, while she was CEO of Yahoo, said she worked 130 hours a week. And if you were interested in achieving this lifestyle, you could read the best seller by Shark Tank’s Daymond John titled Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle your way to a more successful and rewarding life. This was all happening even as numerous research studies were emerging unveiling that working longer hours actually reduces productivity.
So hustle culture was alive and well - until the pandemic hit. At many companies, employees were laid off, loaded with extra work, and took on additional stress. For millions of people, this era lit up an existential crisis, making them wonder if their current job and “hustle mentality” were actually fruitless. These burnt out employees no longer have the energy or will to Rise and Grind everyday - at least not without something to show for it.
Our Take
For employees: while quiet quitting can help temporarily relieve burnout, it’s not a long term solution for anyone. Nobody wants to wake up and work at a company where they’ve felt the need to quietly quit. Eventually, you’re going to have to make a decision to:
a) Actually quit, or
b) Communicate with your employer about the burnout you’re facing to find a solution
For companies: it’s important to recognize that quiet quitting is not a sign of laziness. Afterall, if people hadn’t been going above and beyond in the first place, there wouldn’t be anything to quietly quit. Many of these quiet quitters are people you want to keep at your company.
If you boil it down, quiet quitting is simply a sign that a disconnect has happened between an employee and their employer - in a way that the employee believes might be unresolvable. But in most cases, it can be resolved. The best thing leaders can do is start conversations early to prevent these disconnects and resolve the ones that have already emerged.
WHAT CAN EMPLOYERS DO
Where do you start? Well, while quiet quitting is a new term that has lit up alarm bells, the concepts driving it are not new. Quiet quitting really revolves around:
Employee Satisfaction
Employee Engagement
Compensation
Culture
Individually, all of these are familiar and important to every company. Quiet quitting is basically forcing employers to take an immediate look at the status of all these things at the same time and find the gaps that have grown - especially since the pandemic.
QUESTIONS LEADERS SHOULD ASK:
Think about your best employees right now. Have you had recent conversations with them to gage their workload, mental health, and career goals?
Does your company have a tendency to overload top performers?
Is there a chance that some of your employees could be overworking while others have available capacity?
Think about anyone in your company who has had to absorb the workload or role responsibilities of a coworker who left. Have you re-evaluated their compensation?
Has it been made clear to employees what they need to do and achieve in order to receive a promotion or raise?
If an employee feels burnt out, is it encouraged or discouraged in your company culture to voice this issue?
The answers to these questions should point a laser on where you can look for any disconnects.
Remember, not every employee is facing a compensation or value disconnect (even if they feel they are). In some cases, employees are asked to take on more work or new projects because they were under capacity to begin with, and that’s normal. This exercise is really to ensure that your top performers are being valued and motivated in ways that aligns with the effort they’ve been putting in.
BOTTOM LINE
Quietly quitting is an outcome of managers, with their own unconscious biases, believing that working longer hours = more getting done, despite the results. Research shows that long hours does not actually equal more productivity (in fact the opposite is true). Your best employees want to know that you’re paying attention to what they’re achieving, and not just the time they spend with their bum in a seat.
At Ari Agency & Ari Executive, we work with digital innovators and disruptors who rely on our ability to help them build teams of game-changing talent. If you’re interested in the trends impacting workforces or looking to hiring new talent, contact us today to learn how we can help.
Check out these articles you might like
