5th October 2022 4 MIN READ •Talos Engage •Employee Engagement
‘Quiet Quitting’ is one of the latest buzzwords shaking the HR industry – but what is it, and can it be prevented? In this guide, we discuss how to spot Quiet Quitters within your workforce, and revive their productivity with a well-mapped employee engagement strategy.
“What is ‘Quiet Quitting’?”
Quiet Quitting seems to refer to employees who refuse to go ‘above and beyond’ in their roles, sticking solely to their basic responsibilities and targets rather than pursuing career progression.
According to global research firm Gallup, Quiet Quitters are neither engaged with their roles or actively disengaged – rather, they sit somewhere in the middle of these two groups.
The phrase began making waves in the HR industry after the emergence of a viral TikTok video, which spurred many employers to question the productivity of their own colleagues.
Despite being a recently-coined term, ‘Quiet Quitting’ is far from a new concept. According to research by Gallup, more than 50% of the US workforce could be defined as ‘Quiet Quitters’ based on their response to employee engagement questions in 2022.
In the words of one online commenter…
“It’s ok to say no to tasks that aren’t aligned with the job description. Staffing is a headache. You most likely won’t get fired unless they were planning to fire you already. It’s easier to put your foot down the longer you’ve worked at a company.”
“How can I spot Quiet Quitters in my workforce?”
Quiet Quitters can be incredibly difficult to identify. This is because ‘Quiet Quitting’ still involves meeting the fundamental KPIs within one’s role – employees simply don’t pursue any higher objectives than their job description requires.
It, therefore, stands to reason that Quiet Quitters may be perfectly ‘on target’, with little to no indication of any ill performance.
Combating Quiet Quitting therefore requires wider action to motivate achievement and productivity in your workforce. Put simply – if you want employees to go ‘above and beyond’, they need to feel like it’s worth their time!
How to re-engage Quiet Quitters…
Want to re-engage your company’s Quiet Quitters, and promote higher levels of productivity within your workforce? Here’s how you can do it…
#1 – Find out what demotivates them
Engaging Quiet Quitters means understanding their perspective – why do they feel unwilling to go the extra mile in their roles? Is it to do with their work environment, targets/goals, salary, or indeed the very nature of their job role?
Survey your workforce regularly to identify any key engagement challenges they may be facing. Find out what drives them to succeed in their roles, and what holds them back.
If you spot any trends in their feedback, you’re probably looking at the very reasons why Quiet Quitters exist within your teams…
Be sure to make these surveys anonymous, otherwise, you’ll struggle to gain honest feedback from employees – who may fear reprimand for their opinions.
#2 – Make achievement worth their while
It’s important to remember that ‘Quiet Quitters’ aren’t the same as underachievers. Most of the time, these employees will be perfectly on target – they just won’t go any further than that!
You therefore need to make it worth their while to go ‘above and beyond’ in their roles. Employees aren’t obliged to exceed your expectations, you need to reward and incentivise their efforts!
Look at the benefits your company offers to its employees in recognition of their achievements. Many employers still miss the mark when it comes to employee recognition – don’t let your business be one of them!
Check out our employee recognition guide for some inventive ideas to motivate your workforce…
#3 – Align your EVP with their expectations
Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the collection of incentives and benefits your employees receive for their hard work and loyalty. This includes contractual benefits like healthcare and bonus schemes, but also incorporates things like staff socials and flexible working.
This is a core driver of motivation within your workforce, as well as having a huge impact on staff retention rates. If your EVP falls out of touch with employees’ expectations, you’ll likely see productivity fall as a result.
EVP/Employee engagement surveys are a great way to build a more responsive benefits package. Survey colleagues regularly to find out which benefits/incentives matter most/least to them – be sure to account for different groups within your workforce, such as salary levels, seniority, department, and location.
Find out how to optimise your EVP in three simple steps…
Introducing…
Talos Engage: Employee engagement made easy!
Want to re-engage ‘Quiet Quitters’ within your workforce? Talos Engage is our gamified employee engagement platform, giving you all the tools you need to inspire productivity and success within your workforce.
Eliminate ‘Quiet Quitting’ with a strong EVP
Talos Engage makes it easy to identify the wants, needs, and expectations of your workforce. This allows you to make data-backed changes to your HR strategy – boosting engagement, retention, and productivity.
Identify key engagement challenges
Gamified surveys help to identify key engagement challenges before they begin to affect employees’ performance. Talos Engage will highlight areas for improvement within your ongoing workforce strategy, allowing you to take a proactive approach to employee engagement.
Discover Talos Engage – the gamified way to engage your workforce:
