Amid an Uncertain Job Market, the “QUIET QUITTING” Trend Continues: Here is What Employers Need to Know
Employers have been inundated with stories about a trend called “quiet quitting” that has erupted over the last few months, seemingly courtesy of social media platforms like TikTok. While TikTok users may not have coined the phrase, they did help it to permeate rapidly through the workforce – and it’s not what employers might think. “Quiet quitting” seems to imply people quietly leaving their jobs to join the Great Resignation and find work elsewhere, but there is more to it.
Employee Motives vs. Employer Perceptions
TikTok user @Zaidleppelin’s video describes the phenomenon best: “…you’re not outright quitting your job, but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond. You’re still performing your duties, but you’re no longer subscribing to the ‘hustle culture’ mentality…”.
In that sense, many workers consider “quiet quitting” to be a movement aimed at setting boundaries between work and home as well as establishing a sustainable workplace culture to minimize burnout. At first blush, this doesn’t seem like a bad thing. In fact, most employers encourage a work-life balance and want to help their employees avoid feeling overworked. However, at its very core, the term “quiet quitting” implies an unspoken course of action, rather than a meeting of the minds between employer and employee. The result? While employees believe they are advocating for work-life balance, many employers view the quiet quitting movement as workers disengaging or doing the bare minimum amount of work necessary to earn their paycheck. This difference in viewpoints, if left unaddressed, can be problematic for both parties and may lead to a continuing misalignment in expectations between the employee and the employer.
Is Quiet Quitting Really Happening?
Given the brief shelf-life of social media trends, employers may be wondering whether “quiet quitting” is a real or lasting phenomenon. Some commentators on the trend believe it is merely a product of the COVID-19 pandemic and all its related stressors, while others think it may be a result of worker burnout and the “hustle culture” that is inevitably intertwined in many workplaces. In any case, various experts in the human resource and recruitment industries view it as a real, and likely ongoing, concern for employers.
According to an August 2022 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), approximately half of the human resource professionals surveyed indicated that it was a concern, with over 35 percent of responding professionals stating that their workplaces were actively experiencing “quiet quitting” among employees. Moreover, a newly released report from the Indeed Hiring Lab and Glassdoor Economic Research teams predicts that workers will continue to set the tone for the labor market through 2023 and beyond, as the labor supply remains tight. Among other insights from that report, the data suggest that factors such as company culture, compensation and benefits, and company progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives will continue to be priorities for employees as they consider whether to remain with their existing employer or pursue other options.
One thing that appears certain is that the concerns underlying the so-called quiet quitting movement are likely to impact most workplaces in some capacity, if they have not already. This does not mean employers should jump to the conclusion that their entire workforce will suddenly become unproductive, but it will be important to take proactive steps to maintain worker engagement and productivity in the face of a changing labor market.
From Quiet Quitting to Engaged Employees: What YOU, as an Employer, Can Do
In order for employers to stay on top of the everchanging workplace, FMJ’s HR & Employment Practice Group has provided three helpful tips to steer employees away from “quiet quitting” and, instead, incentivize employee engagement. Please read on to learn more.
Make Expectations Accurate, Reasonable, and Known
While “quiet quitting” is viewed as underperformance by many employers, the practical reality is that employees who partake in this trend are generally meeting the minimum performance requirements that have been established for their position. As such, it is important for employers to take a thoughtful approach when setting job expectations and establish minimum performance standards which, if met, would result in satisfactory job performance. On the other hand, employers should be careful not to set unrealistically high or overly burdensome expectations, as that could have the unintended effect of causing worker burnout and greater turnover. By making expectations for work hours, performance, and productivity levels accurate, reasonable, and known, employers set both themselves and their employees up for success.
Among other things, employers should ensure that their job descriptions, job postings, offer letters, employee agreements and company policies are carefully drafted, as these are key documents that provide employees with information about what is expected from them. In addition to clearly communicating basic job expectations, it is also important to set appropriate performance objectives, and to regularly monitor employees’ progress toward the same. When performance issues arise, it is equally as important for employers to take proactive steps to address those with appropriate coaching, disciplinary documentation and/or other appropriate verbal or written corrective measures. Employers are well-advised to review the above-mentioned materials in order to ensure that they are consistent with current business needs and goals. Our experienced HR & Employment Advisors are here to help and can assist with tailoring these types of documents and policies to meet evolving business requirements.
Incentivize Engagement and/or Reengagement
One of the biggest concerns surrounding “quiet quitting” is that employees engaging in the movement may already feel overworked, overwhelmed, or burned out. However, this does not preclude efforts to incentivize reengagement. Such efforts may include the following, as just a few examples:
- Consider implementing programs that recognize and reward employees for day-to-day contributions to the work culture or other similar aspects of the workplace.
- If appropriate, revisit employee compensation, benefits, and financial incentive programs in order to remain competitive.
- Consider other initiatives to promote worker engagement, such as periodic employee appreciation events, social outings, and other company-sponsored activities.
Check In with Your Employees
In addition to the above efforts, communication is key. Without communication, employers may not know the extent of “quiet quitting” in their workplace. Checking in with employees is not only a good way to identify instances of disengagement, it is also an opportunity to gauge employee satisfaction overall.
There are a number of ways to communicate purposefully with employees. For example, one way to gauge overall satisfaction would be conducting employee engagement surveys. These can be targeted to individuals or small groups, or they could be organization-wide. They can also be conducted anonymously by a third-party resource or by a company’s leadership or human resource teams. As another option, supervisors can conduct one-on-one meetings with their direct reports to check in. In addition, making sure employees know there is an “open door policy” for them to report day-to-day job concerns or make workplace suggestions is a good way to encourage honest feedback and engagement with employees.
Again, our HR & Employment Team can help identify and implement the right communication strategies for your organization.
Whether or not the “quiet quitting” movement will diminish over the coming months, employers should consider taking steps like those mentioned above in order to help foster employee engagement. Please reach out to FMJ’s HR & Employment Practice Group to discuss further.
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