08 Oct Combatting a culture of Quiet Quitting

Imagine a workplace, possibly a world of workplaces, where employees turn up for work, mentally and emotionally ‘checked out’, completely disengaged from their role and do the bare minimum to get by.

This is the Urban Dictionary’s explanation of Quiet Quitting – the latest corporate catch phrase sometimes used to explain employee disengagement.

Quiet Quitting may not be all negative.  The World Economic Forum, suggests it may rather be a stronger pull for individuals to create more balance at work – by not subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality, where work is life. It promotes the idea of doing what is required at work and not letting work become life.

Regardless of the definition, it draws attention to a greater conversation about employee wellbeing and creating work environments that encourage enjoyment versus ones that break individuals down and lead to discontentment and disengagement.

Here are four key pointers on creating a workplace culture that can help to preserve the mental wellbeing and personal purpose of its employees.

1. The trap of over-management. Often teams are overmanaged to compensate for a lack of leadership. Managers need to be engaged, inspired, and empowered, so that they can engage, inspire and empower employees.
2. Connection. In all work environments (but especially in emerging hybrid spaces), it is critical to maintain a meaningful connection within teams. Real conversations are not a time-wasting inefficiency – but rather a way to build relationships and establish trust – factors proven to have a positive effect of employee engagement and performance.
3. Perspective. When you build connections that give you the opportunity to find out about your employee’s life, including their strengths and goals, you will have a better understanding of what motivates them and what support they might need.  You will also gain insight into identifying the worrying signs of disengagement.
4. Inclusion. Creating a sense of belonging for individuals is a key driver of motivation. When an individual can see how their role contributions to the organisation’s broader purpose, they are likely to feel valued and may also find alignment with their own values and purpose.