Figure of a businessman looking at the phrase “quietly quit”
There are many quiet actions happening behind the scenes in today’s business world. The quiet culture workplace trend of quiet firings, quiet hiring, quiet downsizing by employers has backfired, leading to quiet resignations, quiet furloughs, and shadow policies by employees. These actions and reactions are emblematic of a huge gap between companies and their employees, creating doubt, distrust, and low morale.
In addition to grudges and coffee badges, employees have developed a variety of strategies to avoid office obligations in a corporate culture that disregards work-life balance. Skillable “does not respect work-life balance and fails to inspire and develop its employees”
The trend of “quiet quitting,” where employees are chronically disengaged from work and perform only the bare minimum of their duties, has a new name for an old passive-aggressive habit that shows no signs of going away. What started as a TikTok trend has become a workforce phenomenon that employers can’t wipe away. Once considered one of the biggest buzzwords of the pandemic, “quiet quitting” has had far-reaching effects on the job market, driven in part by inadequate training and disengagement. Gallup says that about 60% of employees have quietly quit their jobs, costing companies about $8.8 trillion.
Why employees want to change the trend
“A key aspect of quiet retirement is re-establishing the work-life boundaries that current employees may feel have become blurred,” Abdo explains. “As many organizations face economic and downsizing pressures, the workload of many employees has steadily increased, leading to a tipping point where some employees are leaving and re-defining the work they want to do.”
Abdo said in an email that employees are asking more of their employers compared to the days when 9-to-5 jobs and decades-long corporate careers were the norm. “People now have a variety of workstyle options, from full-time employment to consulting, freelancing, semi-retirement, and even side hustles and passion projects,” he argued. “Work is becoming more fragmented and the choice is in the hands of the worker, which means employers need to do more to attract and retain talent for longer, especially in high-demand roles where talent is constantly being headhunted, such as data, AI, and cybersecurity. The loss of such talent to other employers or quietly quitting can have a significant impact on future digital transformation and cybersecurity strategies and outcomes.”
I also spoke over email with Cronus CEO Sheena Mortazavi, who shared with me the four actions employees want from their employers to feel valued and appreciated.
- Employees want to feel heard and their opinions heard. Mortazavi recommends that leaders regularly survey employees and act on their feedback. “Acting on what employees are doing well and what needs improvement shows that the company cares about them and their opinions,” he believes. “Even simply explaining why you won’t act at this time provides transparency to employees, lets them know their thoughts are acknowledged, and allows for an open dialogue between employer and employee.”
- Employees want to feel celebrated and recognized. Mortazavi suggests that companies create employee appreciation initiatives to help team members feel celebrated and recognized for their hard work. These initiatives can be employee-led or company-sponsored, he notes. “At Cronus, we give awards to team members who embody shared values, encourage employees to praise each other (praising the work of other teammates), and celebrate employees’ years of service through special recognition programs.”
- Employees want to feel connected to their organizations. To make that happen, Mortazavi advocates for leaders to build formal mentorship programs. Matching employees based on common goals, skills, or areas of focus and deprioritizing pairings based on geographic proximity allows employees to get to know someone who can guide them on their career journey, he emphasizes. “No matter how strong the company culture, every employee will encounter challenges that they want to talk to someone who has been in their position before. With mentors, people have someone to turn to to get through difficulties, seek advice, and discuss solutions. Additionally, acting as mentors for other employees allows senior mentors to build management skills, understand the challenges others face, and build social connections with others in the company.”
- Employees are looking for growth opportunities now more than ever. “Employees want to continue to grow, and many feel like their growth has stagnated or even slowed down over the past few years,” says Mortazavi. “Employees want to work for organizations that value their growth as much as they do and that can help them develop their skills in this new work environment. Companies that have established formal mentoring and coaching programs are signaling that employee advancement is important, valued and a priority,” he concludes.
What leaders can do to change the trend
Abdo stressed to me that before a quiet quit scenario plays out within an organization, it’s worth conducting a skills audit to understand what work is needed, what skills are available to complete it, and whether everyone’s skills are being utilized to the fullest. “This can help you discover employees who could pick up extra work in other teams to spread the load evenly, or highlight critical skills gaps that are putting additional pressure on employees,” he noted, suggesting that leaders use employees’ skills and career goals to influence the work they’re offered, upskilling employees who are ready for new projects or tasks rather than unplanned extra work.
Abdo explains how business leaders can mitigate silent quitting by providing learning opportunities for employees. “One way to build long-term relationships with employees is to demonstrate that you’re building a long-term relationship with them by providing clear future job prospects at your organization and tailoring learning opportunities to their interests, career aspirations, and roles,” Abdo explains, adding, “Learning should be relevant and useful to their current work and future plans — that is, it should go beyond the theoretical to include the day-to-day tasks they’re expected to complete in their current job, as well as future promotions or lateral moves.” Abdo concludes that linking learning opportunities to career moves keeps employees excited about future advancements, making them more engaged with the organization and avoiding resentment and silent quitting.
