Conversation and connection: Tools to use to prevent “quiet quitting”
A company’s employee value proposition (EVP) matters perhaps more than ever, as employees reflect on their shifting priorities.
By and large, turnover is on the minds of leaders across many organizations. As if finding good talent wasn’t hard enough, keeping said talent may be even harder. And now, there’s a new buzzword: ‘quiet quitting.’ Yet, based on what we understand of this new phrase, it really isn’t new at all.
Call it what you want: Mailing it in. Putting in enough effort to get the minimal amount done. They’re not formally quitting, they’re just there. None of these occurrences are new. So, what’s really happening? Why is quiet quitting surfacing as a new concern?
As employees’ priorities and needs shift, they are assessing many aspects of the organizations they work for, and moreover how they fit in (or don’t) to the bigger picture. With a wider lens now focused on better work/life integration owing to the flexibility afforded during the pandemic, job security has taken on a new meaning. It’s becoming more about how a job fits into an employee’s life. While pay continues to be critically important, it is not the penultimate factor. Career growth, opportunities to develop, and a wide range of benefits (beyond the basics) have always played a role in where workers go and where they want to stay.
Now, add in instances where workloads increase with often no bump in pay, organizations with return to office plans impacting the flexibility many workers have grown accustomed to in the last two years — all of these dynamics factor into employees’ mindsets. In the simplest terms, workers are taking a hard look at their entire lives and prioritizing what matters most, where they want to spend any bit of ‘extra time’ and what life success looks like. Professional success is still important; however, employees today are taking much broader stock in all roles they play in their lives, from spouse or partner to parent to community member and beyond.
For companies out there who have already seen this take shape in their organization and across their teams, there are a few key components leaders should be aware of and take action on to help prevent, identify and reduce quiet quitting.
Form employee resource groups
Employee resource groups, also known as affinity groups, provide space for your employees to connect with colleagues across the organization around a common thread or experience. Some common types of groups you might see include people from diverse backgrounds, military families, and people with disabilities. Employees who are part of an affinity group experience a sense of connection that reaches far beyond their day-to-day work, allows for expanded opportunities for building relationships and helps to attract and retain workers.
Take time to connect
In today’s world, human connection is essential. This connection pushes well past the typical one-on-one meeting focused solely on business projects and progress, which has been done for years. This is real human connection: spending time learning about your team members and opening dialogue on how they’re doing and who they are as a person. If someone were to ask your employees, “Does your manager care about you?” and the answer isn’t an immediate YES, take a step back and begin to consider more thoughtful connection opportunities.
Consider pulse surveys
If you don’t really have a sense as to how your employees are feeling and thinking about work, pulse surveys are a great way to begin to collect some data. Anonymous, short surveys prompted a handful of times per year to ask a few key questions on engagement, relationships with colleagues, trust in leadership and the company, as well as how they feel about work will give you valuable insights. Surveys should be encouraged, not mandatory, and will often highlight some initial themes to provide a good baseline. From the survey output, you might consider some focus groups or one-off conversations to try to get further information and specifics on what’s going well and what may need some attention.
Read more: How employers can address quiet quitting
A company’s employee value proposition (EVP) matters perhaps more than ever, as employees reflect on their shifting priorities. Your organization’s Talent Acquisition team should ensure your EVP is well thought out and draws talent in by welcoming them to bring their whole selves to work. Once on board, leaders should be focused on connection and engagement, both across their teams and one-on-one with their employees. By implementing some of these programs and starting conversations, companies can see positive impacts both short and long term. Conversation fuels connection – and connection has always been a powerful way to prevent “quiet quitting,” no matter its moniker.
Amy Freshman, Senior Director of Global HR, ADP