Quiet Quitting and Quiet Firing - new names for an old problem

In the world of workplace trends, quiet quitting has seen significant interest in the last months. The phenomenon refers to employees who only do the bare minimum to get their jobs done. And while this is not a new trend, it is on the rise.
 
And not only does it impact the individual, but data shows that quiet quitters are impacting the morale and motivation of those around them. In fact, new research reveals that the habits of quiet quitters have far-reaching impacts.
 
For instance, when quiet quitters decide to do the bare minimum, they often push some of their responsibilities to others, whether they realize it or not.
 
Unsurprising, that doesn’t go down well with their colleagues. Research shows that 62% of employees surveyed said they are annoyed by the trend of quiet quitting, with 57% stating that they had to take on extra work because a colleague had quiet quit.
 
Quiet Firing.
Additionally, research shows that some managers are creating the atmosphere for Quite Quitting through Quiet Firing. Quiet firing happens when managers withhold responsibilities, promotions, or other motivational aspects of a job from an employee, demotivating them in the process. Again, not a new phenomenon but there is more awareness of this trend.
 
And recent research shows that when asked how they’d respond to being quiet fired, 32% of those surveyed said they would either quiet quit or look for a new job in response.
 
While this data is obviously concerning, there are steps that organizations to combat the issue.
 
How?
As a communication professional, it’s important to find out if this is happening in your organisation and understand the reasons why.
 
🤝 One way to do this is to partner with HR. Working together you can give employees an avenue to express their thoughts and feelings and from this you will gain greater insight into how the workplace can be improved.
 
A simple approach could be composing short pulse surveys, which ask quick questions about how people are experiencing the work environment and how things can be improved.
 
Together with HR, you can analyse the data and trends that might be leading employees to feel that they aren’t able to excel and help rectify those issues.
 
In addition, these numbers can serve as a catalyst for hard conversations about leadership communication or company policies that aren’t always easy to kick off. As a communication professional, you can support the conclusions by rolling out resources to help managers better support employees and combat the root cause of quiet quitting. For instance, rolling out training programmes to help manager better engage and actively listen to their teams.
 
💡So, while these are not new tends, it is important to understand if they are happening in your organisation. Find ways to understand why and take action to keep your talent engaged.
 
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