First things first. Quiet quitting is not ghosting.
While this TikTok trend is becoming more popular among young professionals, the concept has actually been in place for quite some time.
Essentially, quiet quitting is really all about cultivating a healthy work-life balance.
Quiet Quitting in the New Normal
Since remote work has become an option, more employees have realised the possibility of working a fulfilling job without the additional hassle of commuting.
This ideal work set-up has gained even more popularity with the help of social media sites, especially TikTok, a short-form video platform.
As a result, it’s no longer so uncommon for millennials and Gen Z users living their best lives while still making a living.
Conversely, those who don’t, are encouraged to either find a new career or to do the bare minimum, (i.e. saying no to unpaid overtime).
The Great Resignation vis-à-vis Quiet Quitting
Job dissatisfaction, low wages, lack of opportunities, and feeling underappreciated at work are some of the common denominators behind the Great Resignation and now, quiet quitting.
Although the latter doesn’t mean that your employees will resign or quit, it could be a sign to evaluate your work culture so things don’t escalate.
According to research, most employees quit because of three main reasons: no career advancement, low wages despite ongoing inflation, and feeling undervalued despite their contributions.
Unsurprisingly, these are also the reasons why employees would rather just do the bare minimum at work. In a way, quiet quitting is their way of making up for “quiet firing,” which can manifest through an employer’s efforts (inadvertently or not) to create an environment that could compel an employee to quit.
We’re talking about the lack of paid time off, increasing the scope of an employee’s duties and responsibilities without the corresponding increase in pay, and so on.
What Does Quiet Quitting Look Like?
To understand it fully, you need to know how quiet quitting manifests at work.
Obviously, worker enthusiasm will be low. They might not be as active and engaged. Some may refrain from helping out voluntarily or enthusiastically pitching ideas.
However, productivity won’t necessarily decline and those engaged in quiet quitting won’t necessarily behave in an unprofessional way either. Sure, they’ll still show up on time, but don’t expect them to stay long once it’s time to clock out for the day.
Moreover, they may no longer choose to work long hours, even with the promise of overtime pay.
However, one indisputable sign of quiet quitting is when your employees stop responding to your emails, calls, or messages as soon as they leave work for the day. (And rightly so, honestly.)
More than anything, this behaviour shows that workers today are no longer open to overworking themselves.
Keep in mind, though, that some employees are really just lazy. Hence, when looking out for the quiet quitters, observe the hardworking go-getters who suddenly aren’t as all-in with their participation as they used to be.
How to Prevent Quiet Quitting from Escalating into Actual Quitting
The only way to prevent your employees from actually quitting is by addressing the problems that gave rise to them quiet quitting.
For instance, you can do the following:
- Encourage a healthy work-life balance
- Provide a reasonable workload
- Give paid time off (i.e., sick days and vacation days)
- Cultivate ways for employees to advance in their careers at your company
- Make employees feel appreciated, valued, and respected
- Pay employees livable wages
- Give proper compensation for overtime work
In case you’re unsure how to do all these, we’ve got you covered.
Remote Staff has been providing Aussie SMEs and entrepreneurs like you with skilled remote workers from the Philippines for the last 15 years and counting. On top of that, we also provide continuous support throughout the working relationship to smooth any ruffled feathers before they escalate any further.
Call us today or schedule a call back and let’s get started.
Serena has been working remotely and writing content for the better part of the last decade. To date, she's written for Pepper.ph and Mabuhay Magazine, among others, and has churned out more than a thousand articles on everything from The Basics of Stock Market Investing to How to Make Milk Tea-Flavored Taho at home.
