Quiet Quitting: A Revelation for the Need to Reignite Employee Engagement
Like many recent workforce trends, the phrase “quiet quitting” emerged from social media and very quickly inspired a torrent of analysis and suppositions responding to all sides of the issue. But how do we define quiet quitting? As described in the TikTok video widely accepted to have sparked this larger discussion, quiet quitting is a decision someone makes in which they do not outright quit their job, but resolve to perform the bare minimum of their delegated responsibilities as a form of self-preservation.
According to an article published by the Harvard Business Review, “Quiet quitters continue to fulfill their primary responsibilities, but [are] not willing to engage in activities [such as] staying late, showing up early, or attending non-mandatory meetings.” The phenomenon is the reinterpretation of a long-existing organizational challenge of employee disengagement. This can be caused by feeling undervalued within the organization, the absence of a meaningful connection towards your work, recession anxiety, financial stagnation and the realization that aspects of your work are a negative contribution towards your health and wellbeing.
A recent survey conducted by The Conference Board suggests that employee engagement is continuing to decrease at a steady pace year after year, regardless of work location and schedule. Employees are no longer enticed by alluring perks or generous salary packages but prioritize the need to adopt a balanced lifestyle with a mutually beneficial employer/employee relationship which begs the question, what can managers do to reignite employee engagement?
Understand the Consequences of Quiet Quitting
The adoption of the quiet quitting mentality is undeniably damaging to the growth of an organization. Its effects are directly linked to negatively impacting opportunities for increasing revenue and building meaningful client relationships, especially for sales teams. It is essential for employees to have a sense of personal investment and devotion to the future of the organization to enable them to perform to the highest level of their capabilities. A competent manager can redefine the core responsibilities according to the strengths of their team members, this singular intervention could ensure that the right person is performing the right task and they have an allowance to take care of themselves outside of the workplace.
Address Shortcomings in the Workplace
For business owners who notice that members of their team are [increasingly “phoning it in” or] becoming increasingly disengaged, the issue can be addressed in one of two ways: on an individual level and a collective level. Individual employees can be spoken to directly, but when quiet quitting evolves into an epidemic within your team, larger operational changes may be required to effectively tackle the problem.
Too often, business leaders view poor overall performance as the shortcomings of specific team members rather than viewing the situation as an indication of anemic workplace culture. Schedule time with your team members to have an honest and open discussion on how management can improve how employees are treated and better learn how to address the factors that contribute to low engagement.
None of your team members should dread the start of a workday. Knowing that management takes their stress and mental health seriously can go a long way toward building a better workplace culture in which employees can feel happier, safer, and more productive.
Instill Value Within Your Team
NPR recently asked a group of workers their perspective on quiet quitting. Anecdotally, this sample reveals that, for employees, quiet quieting is less about the work itself and more about unrealistic standards, expectations, and a lack of boundaries between their personal and professional lives.
Asking employees to prioritize their work over their personal lives is a losing battle and something that business leaders should be able to recognize as a contributing factor to the issue of quiet quitting. It is a probable assumption to predict that business leaders and employees are aware that they both may need to dedicate some of their personal time to assist in the firm remaining competitive and finding creative ways to build revenue.
This can be a welcomed reality when employees feel as though management truly values the time, effort, and sacrifice put into their work. Managers and business leaders can achieve this by scheduling stay interviews, performance assessments, and recreational team bonding activities.
Quiet quitting can also arise when employees feel as though they have no future at the firm and therefore decide to pursue new opportunities elsewhere. By committing to further training and coaching for your team members, you can help your employees better envision future roles within your firm, inspiring greater effort, and performance to reach new goals.
And sometimes, the strongest way to reverse the quiet quitting mindset is to simply provide ample reminders that the work being done by your team is noticed and appreciated by senior staff members.
Take the Time for Further Training and Coaching
Now may feel like the time to buckle down and focus on closing as many sales as possible before the end of the year, but your team can only get so far if they cannot properly address critical errors that may hold them back. Managers should always make training, coaching, and counseling a priority, even when deadlines feel tight. For newer and more inexperienced members of your sales team who may not even recognize why they struggle with closing, further training and coaching might be the only way they can reach their end-of-year sales goals.
We Can Help
By working with our team at Sebastian Lane, your firm can benefit from receiving an unbiased perspective about the obstacles preventing your team from achieving its objectives. We can improve your sales process by providing a tailored and repeatable strategy that delivers results in an efficient and considerate approach that values employee engagement, competence, and success. In response to your needs, we provide coaching and training services to foster independence, confidence, and skills development for your team.
To learn more about our outsourced sales management and business growth strategy services, call Sebastian Lane Consulting at 443-534-6783 or email us at jesse@sebastianlaneconsulting.com to schedule your free consultation.