What is Quiet Quitting, and How Can Leaders Help?
With the world becoming increasingly digital, trends and buzz phrases can be created and spread quickly. The term “quiet quitting” has been the latest buzz phrase that turned the internet upside down. This phrase was popularised by Zaid Khan, a 24-year-old engineer from New York, through his Tiktok account.
In the video he shared that gained over 3.5 million views and 488,000 likes, he stated that quiet quitting is not about outright leaving your job but more about abandoning the idea of getting above and beyond in your work without fair compensation. He added that this phrase perfectly catches the vision of unsubscribing from the hustle culture mentality and that your work has to be your life.
And since the phrase has gotten so much attention, the divided perceptions of the public were already expected. Some say that quiet quitting just shows employees’ laziness and disinterest in their work. In contrast, others think this should have been the work culture that companies should follow.
While people have differing opinions regarding quiet quitting, it is still up to leaders how they will respond to this. So if you seek leader development and how you can manage a team that quiet quits, you might want to continue reading through this infographic.
Workplace happiness
People have different views on happiness. Some people find happiness in doing their hobbies; some think happiness comes from family, while others discover happiness in the littlest things in life. But in a workplace, the happiness of your employees depends a lot on your management.
Hearing stories from the older generation about how they work is nothing new. You would hear stories like they would clock in early and stay in the office to work overtime. Many of these employees are also very particular about being grateful to their bosses by going the extra mile for their work.
While we agree that we should appreciate the opportunities given to us, especially by our mentors or bosses who trained us to improve our careers, a leader must remember that your employees' skills should also be credited. You must avoid thinking that it was all you who gave them the job; instead, you must note that their capabilities significantly contributed to why they were able to land the job you presented.
By acknowledging this, you can create a happier and healthier workplace that you and your employees can benefit from.
Now the question is – is quiet quitting positive or negative for the workplace?
Quiet quitting promotes work-life balance
Quiet quitting is supposed to promote a healthy relationship with your work. It is not something negative that companies should be arguing against. Because no matter how much one loves their work, they can still be prone to burnout, especially now that we live in the new normal. That being said, work-life balance has become more critical than ever.
If there is any consolation, quiet quitting will benefit a company in the long run than forcing or expecting your employees to hustle hard to the brink of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. This term does not imply that your team can laze around and not fulfill their tasks. Remember that to quiet quit, one must still perform their duties and responsibilities. This buzz phrase is just generally the newer version of working your wage; an updated variety of a rebellion against the hustle culture and the mentality of dedicating 24/7 of your life to work.
However, like any other trend, some might misuse this practice. Now, monitoring whether or not an employee abuses this should be a leader’s responsibility.
How should leaders respond to quiet quitting?
Practicing an excellent work-life balance enables your team to feel more empowered and driven. This helps them feel more in control of their working life and leads to increased productivity, lesser absenteeism or sickness, and a happier workforce.
Being worried that your employees might abuse the idea of quiet quitting is entirely valid. Thus, it is not wrong to establish a system that will be advantageous for the company and its employees. Here are some tips for doing that:
Use email effectively
Whether you like them or not, emails are necessary for the workplace. This is among the fastest and most efficient ways to delegate tasks and make announcements. However, how can one ensure that emails are being used effectively?
The beauty of emails is that anyone, including leaders, should wait in line. Let your employees work on their priorities on their own. Demanding your team to answer you instantly can only cause stress to them.
If you have urgent concerns that have to be addressed immediately, you can give them a call or visit them at their workstation.
Let your employees have a time-off
A saying goes, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” This saying could be applied in the workplace. Avoid demanding your team to work more than their working hours. If their schedule is 9 to 5 from Monday to Friday, you must stick with it.
You may ask – what if there is an important matter that would require them to work beyond their work time or day?
This is unavoidable on some occasions. There are situations in the workplace that would require immediate attention. When this happens, talk with your employees and provide them with proper compensation.
In addition, if one of your employees files for a leave of absence, do not ask them to justify why they are asking for a rest. While you can ask for a reason why they want to spend time away from work, do not belittle their reasons, no matter how petty they might be for you. And as much as possible, avoid contacting them while they are on vacation.
Cut down the number and length of meetings
In the workplace, there are some inevitable moments. One of them is meetings. Meetings are usually done to brainstorm a new idea to sell, sales or progress reports, or solutions to problems.
In those instances, sticking with your agenda and being straightforward would save not only your employees’ time but yours as well. Also, try to gauge whether the issue must be discussed in a team meeting. Because sometimes, you can easily solve them by emailing your team or having a one-to-one conversation.
Praise and appreciate your team
The last on this list is definitely not the least – give praises and appreciation to your members. This is by far the simplest way to ensure your employees would not abuse quiet quitting.
Many studies have already proven that employees prefer to stick with a challenging job managed by a good leader than to fulfill easy tasks with abusive leaders. Showing your team that you appreciate them for a job well done and providing them with constructive feedback on their performance yields more positive results than shouting or shaming them for their mistakes.
You will be surprised how much of a difference compassion and empathy can make.
Learn to be a better leader with us
Trends in the workplace will pop up now and then. And they would not care whether or not you are prepared to handle them. But by simply knowing how to improve leadership skills, you can undoubtedly create a difference in your workplace.
Corporate Learning Solutions offers one of the best courses for leadership and management that will benefit the company and your team. If you want to learn more about us and what we offer, you can check our website at www.corplearn.com.au.
