The “quiet quitting” trend has been taking headlines by storm, and inundating our social media news feeds.
In the US alone, at least 50% of workers are “quiet quitters,” or employees who have chosen to stop going above and beyond in the workplace, according to a Gallup poll.
Now, you might be thinking that signs of this behaviour aren’t uncommon in the workplace. And you’re correct.
However, thanks to a viral TikTok video, we now recognise the significance of this issue in hybrid and remote workplaces.
The signs of an employee who’s quietly quitting might look something like this:
- Withdrawing from teamwork and activities
- Doing the absolute bare minimum to skate by
- Spending little to no time with other team members
- Stepping back from participation in meetings
- Lacking energy and enthusiasm for new projects
It’s more productive and effective to work out what’s causing your employees to disengage and find a solution than it is to blame them for their behaviour.
If you don’t treat the root cause, their unhappiness could spread quickly throughout your team, resulting in a complete adoption of quiet quitting. Or worse, a mass exodus of your workforce, aka a Great Resignation.
Thankfully, there are a few simple ways to help your employees find the right level of involvement at work.
Here are four strategies you can use to keep your team energised, motivated, and eager to stay involved at work and combat quiet quitting to a large extent.
Conduct employee pulse surveys
The first step in helping your employees find the right involvement at work is to understand what is causing them to disengage.
Are they overwhelmed with the workload? Do they feel underpaid and underappreciated? Do they need more paid time off?
You’ll only know the answers to these questions if you ask. That’s where pulse surveys come into play. They’re one of the most effective ways to measure employee engagement and determine how your employees feel about their jobs.
Why do they work?
First, pulse surveys are cost-effective. You can conduct them in-house with a free Google form or upgrade to employee engagement software.
But most importantly, anonymous pulse surveys allow employees who don’t usually voice their opinions or concerns at work — like introverts or those who might be afraid of losing their job — to share what’s on their minds.
From an employee standpoint, when an employer issues a pulse survey, it sets the expectation that leaders will listen to the results.
Work smarter, not harder, to gather feedback using these low-risk surveys that should lead you directly to the root cause of the problem.
Invest in employee recognition programmes
Studies show that over 80% of employees are motivated to work harder when recognised for their efforts by team leaders. However, only a third of employees say that they receive training and education opportunities at work.
So keep your best employees engaged by implementing an employee recognition programme to honour their hard work. It never hurts to remind them that they’re critical assets to the success of your organisation.
The best part of all? Employee recognition programs can be moderate and inexpensive.
For example, if your marketing team recently developed a successful lead scoring process, send a company-wide email showcasing the new features and giving credit to the key contributors.
Of course, don’t forget to thank them for their hard work.
If you want to step it up a notch, create an employee reward programme tailored to each employee by offering personalised prizes for a job well done.
These could be gift cards for example – that aren’t overly expensive, but the personalisation shows your employees that you genuinely care.
Don’t underestimate the power of recognition to keep your employees involved in their roles.
Streamline tedious workflows
There are often too many tedious tasks or manual processes in a company that employees need to follow. Employees may feel reluctant to follow these processes over time, which can drain the enthusiasm from your organisation and generate bottlenecks.
Most employees value their time and want employers to do the same. So supporting your employees with the right technology and tools to optimise their work is fundamental.
Imagine that you have a transport and logistics company. Investing in telematics software will help your drivers do their job more efficiently so they can spend more time at home with their families.
Or use a sales CRM, so your salespeople can spend less time looking for information about a customer or calculating how much revenue they brought in the door.
Streamlining workflows gets rid of processes employees dislike and allows time for them to focus on tasks they enjoy — like project work or learning a new skill.
Try to automate all basic and repetitive tasks that don’t add value to your employees’ workday. It makes a world of difference.
Provide autonomy
Almost 70% of people in the UK who reported working for a micromanager said that it lowers their morale, and 55% said it hurts their productivity.
Providing autonomy to employees is one of the most effective ways to get them more involved in their jobs.
It’s important to note that autonomy doesn’t mean “freedom” and that people can do whatever they want without consequences. Instead, it means giving your employees the freedom to make decisions or do their work in a way that works for them based on what you’ve provided as guidelines.
This can be as simple as allowing employees to choose how long they take for lunch or when they take time off. Or it could mean giving them more responsibility over projects and tasks.
When employees have the power to do things on their terms or in a way that works best for them, they’re more likely to stay engaged in their role and produce high-quality outcomes.
Wrapping up
The best way to address the problem of employees disengaging from their work is by taking proactive steps as a manager to ensure everyone is happy.
Addressing employee concerns before they grow into something toxic and irreparable helps prevent disruptions in your team’s productivity and morale.
Employees want to feel valued. Time is precious, and they don’t want to waste it at a job where they aren’t recognised for their efforts and don’t have control over their professional growth. So keep the communication lines open to help your employees find the right level of involvement at work. And you’ll be surprised at the impact on employee engagement and your company’s bottom line.
Author: Guillaume Deschamps – Content Manager, Wordable.io & PR Manager, uSERP.
Photo credit: Freepik
