Quiet quitting has become something of a buzz term in entrepreneurial circles as of late. Understandably, the potential for employees to reduce their positive impact in their roles leaves many small business owners concerned. It’s important to recognize, though, that your company isn’t entirely powerless to mitigate this negative influence.
The primary reason for this is that employees tend to engage in quiet quitting when there are elements of their employment that are actively harming them. Even if you’ve invested in attracting the best candidates to your company, you’re unlikely to get the best results from them if they have negative experiences. The power to halt the causes of this issue is, therefore, almost entirely in your company’s hands.
What is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting is, in essence, a reduction in employee engagement. This can take various forms. Primarily, employees will shift to doing the bare minimum activities to achieve essential daily tasks. They might not participate fully in team meetings or projects. They won’t work any longer than their scheduled hours. Often, they won’t demonstrate the same passion or enthusiasm for their job that they’d previously exhibited.
One of the most common results of quiet quitting is a reduction in efficient working practices. This reflects some of the key causes of decreased productivity in businesses. Employees typically disengage from their typical daily activities when they experience high levels of stress or burnout without support. Similarly, the presence of toxic cultural elements, such as unhealthy competition or discrimination, breeds employee dissatisfaction. The result is less productivity among employees — they see little incentive to give their all.
It’s important to recognize, though, that quiet quitting isn’t usually the immediate response of employees. These are actions that employees are pushed toward, often as a result of repeatedly negative experiences from employers. It certainly isn’t simply employees being lazy. If employees are increasingly becoming disengaged, this is indicative of something very wrong in your small business.
How Can You Assess Quiet Quitting?
It may be the case that you suspect quiet quitting is a feature of your small business. However, this assumption isn’t enough. You need to be clear on the extent to which this disruptive influence is present throughout the company. You also need to understand the specific causes of quiet quitting in your workplace. This will help you to effectively address the issues.
The first step is to examine company data. Review the productivity of departments, teams, and individual employees. Compare this to previous periods. It can also be helpful to assess recent customer satisfaction feedback for any changes in service quality. Examine these with supervisors and managers to establish potential problems among their teams that may be behind quiet quitting behavior.
Often the most valuable information concerning quiet quitting tends to come from reaching out to employees themselves. Just as you assess employees, you must give them the chance to review your company. Issue employee engagement surveys with questions related to satisfaction, company culture, recognition, and equality, among others. This should be designed to highlight signs of disengagement and the roots of these.
Wherever possible, ensure these surveys are anonymous to encourage transparency. This can also be an ongoing assessment by providing anonymous employee feedback channels. This not only helps to raise potential engagement issues early on, but it also reassures employees that you care about their insights.
What Methods Can Mitigate Quiet Quitting?
In general, the route to mitigating quiet quitting in your small business is to improve conditions for employees. You can do that by considering the following advice:
Fair pay and benefits
While pay isn’t the be-all and end-all of the employee experience, it is still vital. Make sure that your employees are paid more than the basic market rates wherever possible. Offer bonuses that are not just linked to results, but other forms of contribution, like ideas and cultural impact. A strong range of benefits shows that you also care about your employees’ quality of life outside the business.
A supportive company culture
Attracting and retaining great employees requires a positive working culture in which they feel supported. This should include demonstrating a commitment to treating employees fairly and offering a flexible working schedule that results in a good work-life balance. You’ll also find that embracing modern technology is an increasingly attractive part of a workplace, as these tools can allow employees to be more productive without risking burnout.
Appreciate their contributions
Among the key reasons for quiet quitting is that employees don’t feel they’re appreciated for their talents, performance, and commitment. Make certain there are visible and structured methods of recognition in place. This doesn’t just have to be material rewards and bonuses, although these can help. Ensure that employees are regularly praised for specific actions by colleagues and leadership. Offer paths to progression that reflect their efforts.
Conclusion
Quiet quitting is a form of employee disengagement that generally signifies issues with your small business’ company culture. It’s vital to commit to thorough and regular reviews of your product data and employee surveys to establish its present and potential causes. Most importantly, you should seek to provide fair pay, offer strong support, and demonstrate appreciation as standard aspects of your business. With a commitment to truly valuing your employees, you may find your business is less susceptible to quiet quitting.