‘Quiet quitting’ in the workplace and how to avoid it

Quiet quitting – sometimes known as work-to-rule – is the new workspace buzzword and happens when an employee does the bare minimum of what is required to keep their role at work.

Working after office hours, taking on co-workers’ tasks and speaking up in meetings are all left behind. Obviously, when employees no longer strive to do their best work, there comes the detrimental knock-on effect of decreased productivity, goals and objectives not being met and reduced business growth. Operational costs, customer satisfaction and profitability are all impacted by employee morale.

Realistically, quiet quitting only happens in environments where employers don’t afford their employees the same passion they expect from them. As a company, there are a few easy ways to create a positive workspace environment and avoid this:

Providing adequate training and mentorship

Training is the pillar of employee growth. Offering suitable training gives workers the skills and confidence they need to do their jobs more effectively and gives them room to climb up the corporate ladder if they want to. Companies like Prestwick Care offer a good demonstration of this as they provide full training packages to employees across their North East care homes. Along with this, mentoring (not micromanaging) employees by providing constructive feedback goes a long way.

Improving company culture

A company is a reflection its workers, and happy employees create a productive environment. Keeping an open line of communication provides a safe space for your employees to communicate and work through any grievances. If things are talked about and feelings are validated, they will get resolved. Fostering a good employer-employee relationship can be done through regular check-ins and keep employees engaged and motivated. It is a necessary reminder that they are not just a number.

Employee benefits

Company benefits or incentives are essential in letting your employees know you care about them. A competitive salary is well and good but can mean little without benefits that correspond.

An Incentive Research Foundation survey found that team incentive programmes can increase employee performance by up to 44%. Evidently, things like staff discounts, reasonable pension schemes and providing mental health support drives higher staff retention rates.

Acknowledging good work

An occasional pat on the back when warranted doesn’t cost anything and lets employees know you appreciate their efforts. It’s an easy way to reinforce what you want to see more of in the workplace and makes workers feel good about what they’re doing. Acknowledgement of good work also encourages other employees to work more passionately.

While the name ‘quiet quitting’ sounds alarming, it fundamentally comes down to employee burnout because of an unhealthy work environment and can easily be avoided. The best way around it is by making your employees feel like valued additions to the company, because they are.
This could mean taking more time to invest in your employees, creating a sense of purpose or keeping an open and transparent line of communication.