222: Quiet Quitting in the Workplace
222: Quiet Quitting in the Workplace
with Michele Williams
Have you heard of quiet quitting? Maybe you have seen or felt it in your business or when speaking with a colleague. Quiet quitting is defined as an emotional quitting instead of physically doing so. On the podcast today we are exploring quiet quitting. What it is, how it occurs, how to spot it and hopefully stop it before it escalates.
Topics Mentioned:
Disengaged
Lack of motivation
Employee health
Connected workplace
Listen to the Episode
Ok, we are going to geek out just a bit and talk about some of the numbers, metrics, statistics or benchmarks in our industry and in business in general. This may be a shorter episode – but it is filled with data. Check out the show notes on my website where this is all written out for you.
There are so many of these benchmarks we could look at– so we are going to only hit the highlights. If you want to go deeper, go ahead and go to my website and sign up to have a Discovery Call to check into coaching with me. We can look at ALL the numbers when you work with my team.
Remember that the numbers are just that – indicators. If we don’t like them – then we need to change the decisions that created them.
First, let’s look at the industry of Interior Design.
Quiet quitting is a thing! And we are seeing it more and more in the workplace. It is defined as emotionally quitting – tapping out, all while physically still coming in and doing the job. This quiet quitting is being tied to a disconnect. Many are sharing that they don’t know how they fit into the work or goals of the company and they are not tied in to the mission and vision.
This is exactly why we go back to this work constantly in the AIM with Intent® methodology, the coaching program offered by Scarlet Thread Consulting. Every person on the team should know the high level of what the business does, why it does it, who it serves and how their job fits in.
When someone is only there for the paycheck and does not care, this is a form of quiet quitting. Here are a few signs of quiet quitting:
Work is done at the bare minimum, no above and beyond or forward thinking/doing
Disengagement
Cynical in speech and thoughts
Feeling of being micromanaged, even when they are not
Performing with low quality, turning out low quality work
Not meeting expectations, don’t finish work on time
Taking advantage of company flexibility
Are you seeing any of this in your office? These challenges may not always be the fault of one party or the other. Certainly we all have life situations that may make us feel overwhelmed and each day is a difficult journey of putting one foot in front of the other, but we cannot all stay in this place for the our own mental health and for the good of the company.
To prevent quiet quitting, here are some areas to focus on:
Prevent large workloads for extended periods of time. If a large workload is needed, make sure it is more of a short-term expectation.
Compensate properly. Underpaying and overworking will create a firestorm of quiet quitting.
Listen to employees and invite them into conversations appropriately.
Create healthy boundaries in the office and between work and life.
Create employee recognition opportunities.
Build rapport and relationships with your team and within the team.
Quiet quitting, when hitting its peak, can show that expectations are out of control and that team members are demanding a realignment. A Gallup poll indicates that 50% or more of the US workforce, if not more, are quiet quitters. The proportion of engaged workers in the 2nd quarter of 2022 was 32% and actively disengaged was 18%.
This decline began the second half of 2021 especially related to clarity and expectations of the jobs with the changing dynamics of the pandemic and working conditions. Many were left wondering how they were being cared about.
One of the best ways to reduce quiet quitting is to have one meaningful conversation each week with each employee lasting 15-30 minutes. When people feel seen and heard, they want to show up and engage. Those aged 35 and under are the most disengaged age wise.
Maybe you have heard it said before that people don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers. And this is another example where when we feel unseen, unheard, disenfranchised, not a part of the whole, that we just quietly quit or give up.
Make time to meet your teammates where they are. Grab a cup of coffee and just talk. Create an open-door policy that is really open door. Reduce your own pace so that your employees don’t feel guilty having a short conversation with you. Your business will be healthier, and your employees will stay longer and be more joyful and productive.
Leading a team is a challenge. Get help to do the work. Leading and managing employees are some of the areas we assist with in our coaching program. If you need assistance, sign up for a Discovery Call at scarletthreadconsulting.com. Let us help you build profitable employee relationships – because profit doesn’t happen by accident.
Key Thoughts:
Quiet quitting is a thing! And we are seeing it more and more in the workplace. It is defined as emotionally quitting – tapping out, all while physically still coming in and doing the job. Michele (1:13)
Every person on the team should know the high level of what the business does, why it does it, who it serves and how their job fits in. Michele (1:58)
Quiet quitting, when hitting its peak, can show that expectations are out of control and that team members are demanding a realignment. Michele (6:37)
One of the best ways to reduce quiet quitting is to have one meaningful conversation each week with each employee lasting 15-30 minutes. Michele (7:30)
Contact Michele:
Facebook: Scarlet Thread Consulting
Instagram: @ScarletThreadATL