Recently, the global workforce went through a change like no other. What started as an economic trend coined the “Great Resignation” prompted long-lasting changes in the workplace. In 2021, an overwhelming number of employees made the decision to quit their jobs. We hope you haven’t experienced this, but if you did, we’re here to tell you that there were clear signs that could have warned you ahead of time.
The main reasons Americans quit their jobs in 2021 was low pay, lack of opportunities for advancement, and feeling disrespected—all of which are connected and have the common denominator of mismanagement. If an employee is dissatisfied with their income, and has no opportunity to be promoted, they will get discouraged which can lead to “quiet quitting.”
What is quiet quitting?
Thanks to a viral TikTok video, we recently learned that quiet quitting is when employees stop going above and beyond in their jobs and start doing the bare minimum. Experts believe this is a residual effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout and the “great resignation” because it made employees feel empowered and the act of quiet quitting made them feel like they had control over their work life again. On the surface, it may be hard to spot the negative effects but underneath, quiet quitting leads to a toxic work environment that is detrimental to your workplace.
How to prevent quiet quitting:
Workhuman’s chief human resources officer, Steve Pemberton says “what’s indicative is whether or not employers are going to meet humans halfway in their recalibration of what work looks like, how it’s done, where it’s done, and with whom it’s done” backing up our argument for the three core values you should focus on this year.
- Advancement—“What work looks like”
- Flexibility—“How it’s done” and “Where it’s done”
- Purpose—”With whom (and why) it’s done.”
Advancement:
As previously stated, one of the main reasons for the 2021 workplace mass exodus was low pay and lack of opportunities for advancement. To be a successful manager of leaders who are constantly growing in their area of expertise, consistent opportunities to level up must be provided. Without the room to grow into the next position, skill, or speciality, what will motivate your employees to keep getting better at what they do?
Flexibility:
Karin Kimbrough, who is the chief economist at LinkedIn said in episode seven of Teal Talks that “a desire to work from home in remote jobs is driving some of the turnover in the labor market. She also said that “nearly half of all applicants on our platform apply for at least one remote role. And this is up from an infinitesimal small pre-pandemic number.” Remote and hybrid are officially the new buzz words when it comes to recruitment and it’s up to employers to recognize that this post COVID-19 trend isn’t going anywhere soon. Like Pemberton said, it’s crucial to meet employees halfway. How can your workplace accommodate employees who value this kind of working environment?
Purpose:
If your team doesn’t know the “why” behind what they do every day, how do you expect them to keep showing up to do it? A lot of corporations may struggle with this core value, especially if they have a bottom line mentality. But any workplace in any industry needs to have a real “why” that they can clearly point to and reference to often when motivating and encouraging employees. As Simon Sinek says in Starting with Why, “Very few people or companies can clearly articulate why they do what they do. By why, I mean your purpose, cause or belief — why does your company exist? Why do you get out of bed every morning? And why should anyone care?”
Find your why and make sure everyone on your team feels like they play an active part in contributing not only in 2023 but for years to come.