What is “Quiet Quitting” & How Can You Reduce Its Impact on Your Organization?

NimblyWise Team
October 12, 2022

You’ve probably seen a post or two about quiet quitting waltzing its way across your LinkedIn feed recently (after going viral on TikTok, of course). It seems that The Great Resignation is taking a backseat to this more recent employment phenomenon. So, what is quiet quitting, and how can your organization deploy skill building to decrease the likelihood of it happening in your organization? Today, we’re going to address all that and more!

What is Quiet Quitting?

Well, the answer is honestly a little blurry. Depending on who you ask and what side of the argument they’re on, the response could be different.

For some, quiet quitting is being framed as a positive movement to heal mental health struggles plaguing many post-pandemic. It entails employees setting boundaries, doing only the work they’re paid to do within their job scope, and not going above and beyond.

But other sources are reframing it to be negative. A situation where team members consciously do whatever they can to work fewer hours or offload some of their work to their team members.

So, the answer really depends on who you’re talking to (now, it can also depend on the employee too)!

But, a recent survey by Gallup found that quiet quitters make up at least half of the U.S. workforce. When in reality, not many of their opinions have changed about their work over the past few years. Now, when that’s the case, we believe it could be more of a workplace culture crisis that’s been happening for too long rather than a situation where employees are slacking off and not doing their work.

Top Reasons Why Team Members May Engage in Quiet Quitting

But, regardless of which way you see it, there are a few reasons why this is happening — positive or negative — and ways you can support your team to avoid it. Here are a few of the top reasons why quiet quitting is perhaps occurring more frequently than ever before:

Burnout & Overwhelm

Over half of U.S. employees report working overtime regularly. Now, when employees aren’t compensated appropriately for that, it can lead to burnout and resentment. Pair that with a global pandemic that has turned the world of work on its head and changed workforce dynamics entirely, you have a clear recipe for burnout and overwhelm that causes employees to withdraw.

When teams are encouraged to work overtime with no benefits, not praised for going above and beyond, and given tasks outside their normal scope of work without compensation, you can’t expect them to be okay with that.

Ways Your Organization Can Reduce the Likelihood of Quiet Quitting

The simplest way to avoid quiet quitting is to invest in building a positive culture that values your team at every level of their development, life, and career. Offer wellness programs, launch learning and development strategies, create fun team-building opportunities, and the list goes on!

Here are two places you can start to create a positive shift in your organization:

Shift Priorities & Equalize Responsibilities

It could be time to take a good hard look at your traditional hierarchy and responsibilities. Analyze what’s working and what isn’t, and shift responsibilities and roles accordingly. Ensure that you’re creating roles and opportunities that bear equal obligations toward reaching organizational goals!

Prioritize Work-Life Balance & Wellness

If team members already feel that they have the flexibility and autonomy to get their job done but still spend time with family and friends, chase their passions, and take care of themselves, they’re more likely to be engaged and want to do the work to move your organization forward!

Invest in Skill Building & Development

We’ve shared this before, but it’s so impactful. Ninety-four percent of employees would stay at a company that invested in their development. Now, overwhelm, and burnout is sometimes the result of poor communication skills, problem-solving skills, or critical thinking skills that make simple work more difficult. The only way to remedy this is to invest in skill-building and development programs!

Enlist Help from NimblyWise to Invest in the Development of Your Team & Grow Employee Engagement

It’s time to invest in your team and their development. By doing this you’ll innately increase engagement and change the way people feel about working for your organization!

Learning and development programs are one of the most powerful tools to contribute to your company culture and re-engage your team during times of uncertainty and burnout, like many are experiencing now.

NimblyWise’s trained and skilled coaches can work with you to identify and customize real-time learning program(s) that will help your team thrive, not coast. Let’s chat about the opportunities!