How Effective Internal Comms can help combat ‘Quiet Quitting’?
Quiet quitting is the latest workplace buzzword. Although it appears to refer to someone resigning, quiet quitting refers to an employee who actively decides to stop going above and beyond what is written in their job description. They don’t leave their jobs; instead, they appear to be logging out at 5 p.m., not looking for new tasks or projects, and taking regular time off.
The trend of “quiet quitting” – the viral social media idea that millions of employees are not going above and beyond at work and are simply meeting their job description is increasing. This is a problem because most jobs today require extra effort to collaborate with co-workers and meet customer needs. It is not wrong for your employees to stick to what is asked of them, but it is always better to motivate them to challenge themselves with extra learning and sharing of their knowledge beyond what is asked of them.
Employee engagement in the U.S fell another notch in the second quarter of 2022, with the proportion of engaged workers remaining at 32% but the balance of actively disengaged rising to 18%. The engaged-to-actively disengaged employee ratio is now 1.8 to 1, the lowest in nearly a decade (Gallup).
So, why do employees quietly quit?
Although “quiet quitting” is widespread, the practice is not new. For years, workers have quietly quit their jobs to pursue new opportunities due to low pay, unmanageable workloads, burnouts, or lack of career growth. 84% of millennials claim to have burned out at their current job. For one reason or another, nearly half of millennials claim to have quit their job, says Deloitte.
According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2022 report, 63% of employees are rethinking and questioning their careers and seeking more work-life balance as reasons to quit their jobs quietly.
Keeping your employees happy isn’t always easy enough. They may feel disengaged, unappreciated, or unsatisfied at times. When this happens, they are naturally expected to quit on you quietly. Quitting quietly can be as negatively impacting a company as quitting outright.
Signs of quiet quitting
If an employee is truly unhappy, the signs may be much more visible like some of the following;
- Refusal to attend meetings.
- Showing up late or leaving early.
- Significant drop in productivity.
- Limited contribution to team projects.
- Less participation in planning or meetings.
- Lack of interest or enthusiasm.
If you happen to witness these signs in your employees, it is high time you take immediate measures to secure employee retention.
What can internal comms do to curb quiet quitting?
There is no better option than improved internal comms to tackle this trending situation. Implementing an intranet-supported internal comms is a significant step toward preventing employee disengagement and improving employee experience.
Endorse a people-first culture
First and foremost, there must be a fundamental shift in business leaders’ mindsets and work culture. This shift should move from viewing employees as resources to a people-first approach. Internal comms can achieve a state in which employees are valued as individuals rather than as resources, resulting in increased productivity, innovation, and profit.
Open platform to voice out
It’s fair to say that many employers are struggling with hybrid work models and the concept of returning to the office because of a tug-of-war between what businesses need and what employees want. This disconnect between the company and employees causes friction. Effective internal comms can make employees feel valued and heard in their wants and needs. Employees can share their ideas and raise their voices on an internal comms platform like PeopleOne. Employees who feel valued and appreciated at work are likelier to be happy, motivated and engaged in their roles.
Recognize their extra efforts
It is always a good idea to take the time to acknowledge your employees’ efforts and contributions. Wanting your employees to go far beyond their job description always requires recognition and appreciation. More than 91% of HR professionals agree that rewards and recognition encourage workers to remain motivated at work. Internal comms allows everyone in the company to do this in the best way possible, publicly or within your teams.
Allow work flexibility
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for flexible working. We can still recognize the nuances and design working models that meet employees where they are. The actual flexible working consists of schedule flexibility and location flexibility. However, achieving this level of adaptability without internal comms can be difficult. Internal comms facilitates the integration of employees from different time zones and languages. Every desk or frontline worker can clock in at flexible timings and share updates with teammates through a centralized platform from anywhere on their mobile phones. The managers or project leads can easily reach out to their teammates through internal comms whenever needed, and they can respond in their time, achieving flexibility in work.
Promote work-life balance
In 2022, the right to disconnect is still a hot topic. This concept, which has recently been enshrined in several countries, allows employees to switch off outside their regular working hours. Fundamentally, this boils down to work-life balance. According to Statista, 72% of potential employees believe that work-life balance is an important consideration. Internal comms can organize fun topics for discussions, conduct surveys to gather employee feedback, chime in with what’s happening around you with your teammates and also recognize and congratulate co-workers on their accomplishments or special occasions.
Wrapping it up
There will always be some “quiet quitters.” However, it does not have to become a trend in your organization if communication supports genuine leadership efforts that catalyze employee engagement. No employer wants employees to leave them quietly. But keep in mind that employee happiness and motivation are two-way streets. It is the responsibility of the employer and employees to collaborate and create an environment in which everyone feels appreciated and valued. Addressing employee engagement and cultivating cultures of belonging are critical endeavors that benefit the organization, leaders, and employees. PeopleOne enables you to implement all of these aspects and helps to reduce the chances of employees quitting on you quietly.
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