9 ways to rein in “resenteeism”

If it seems that everywhere you turn, people are a bit more disgruntled and grumpier these days, you’re not wrong. The global Negative Experience Index has reached an all-time high, with more people than ever reporting anger, stress, sadness and worry.

Many of us are seeing this manifest in the workplace, too. Even with greater flexibility and remote work, job satisfaction is dropping with 60% of people emotionally detached at work and nearly 1 in 5 saying they’re miserable on the job. Even worse, some 18% of U.S. workers are angry.

But amid massive layoffs and an uncertain economy, many of those unhappy workers find themselves stuck, unable to leave the job that’s making them so miserable. That growing sense of misery has given way to quiet quitting’s much more vocal and volatile cousin: “resenteeism.”

Unlike quiet quitters who keep their heads down and try to fly under the radar, hoping they don’t get fired, resentful employees tend to be much more vocal, airing their grievances, and potentially sowing dissent among their coworkers. Soon the angst permeates the organization, creating a toxic environment that makes hiring and retention even more difficult than it already is.

To prevent “resenteeism” from taking over your organization, here’s how managers and HR leaders can identify the warning signs and re-engage employees to rein in resenteeism before it becomes a problem.

• Look for passive behaviors. Resenteeism often manifests in a decline in productivity or work quality. Employees who are resentful may omit important parts of a project or procrastinate to the point of missing deadlines. They may also appear distracted or disengaged during meetings (especially virtual gatherings) and might even take more sick days than usual.
• Watch for signs of burnout. According to a recent Aflac Workforces Report, nearly 3 out of 5 American workers feel burned out, up 7% from 2021 and on par with 2020 levels at the height of the pandemic. Burnout in a difficult job market is a recipe for resenteeism, so leaders must be vigilant. Take note if your employees appear to be visibly stressed, complain about feeling overwhelmed or seem frazzled and unable to focus or concentrate.
• Listen for outward complaints. While they might not vocalize their resentment directly to leaders, listen for it in tone or inflection and in conversations among co-workers. Resentful employees might also express displeasure or rebel against any kind of changes made in process or organizational function, and they may even rally other employees to support their cause.
• Proactively check in with employees. Resenteeism can flourish in a vacuum and one way to avoid being broadsided by it is to encourage managers to conduct frequent check-ins frequently with their team. Use one-on-one conversations to make sure they’re feeling appreciated, motivated and engaged and not feeling overwhelmed or disgruntled — especially if the company is understaffed. Use surveys to ask for anonymous feedback since not everyone will feel comfortable expressing their unhappiness in person.
• Host teambuilding events. Employees need to feel a sense of personal connection in order to feel engaged in their work, and that’s quite difficult in a remote or hybrid environment. Provide those opportunities by hosting quarterly or semi-annual offsite or team building outings where everyone gets together face-to-face. This creates an opportunity for the kind of impromptu conversations where resenteeism can be detected early, and it builds camaraderie, which supports a positive workplace culture.
• Hold annual career conversations. Employees often start to feel resentful when they don’t see any potential growth opportunities for them within the organization. Combat that sense of inertia by holding annual or semi-annual career conversations with each employee about their goals, any new skills they’d like to explore or opportunities for advancement or lateral moves.
• Ask about the bad stuff, too. Don’t be afraid to ask employees what conditions or circumstances would make them leave the company, about things they dislike or what they would change if they were in charge. Even if you can’t remedy all their complaints, you may be able to fix some fairly easily, which could make a big difference in someone’s day-to-day satisfaction. And even if you can’t, at least they’ll feel they were heard, and you recognized the problem.
• Communicate opportunities. Don’t limit your offerings to an annual conversation. Publicize training and skills growth opportunities, new job openings, new projects and even lateral moves. While some employees may not want a leadership or supervisory role, taking on a new challenge or added responsibilities might make them much happier. Make sure people know what’s available and they’ll be less likely to make assumptions and look for a new job instead.
• Manage workload. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re getting all the work and no reward. Especially if you’re short-staffed and your team is picking up the slack, it’s easy to pile work onto high-performers and before you know it, they’re overwhelmed, stressed and resentful. Manage workload to prevent overburden and offer bonuses, extra time off or at least a weekly free lunch or other meaningful display of appreciation for their added efforts.

Read more: Is your workplace culture contributing to employee presenteeism?

Resenteeism might be the latest workforce trend, but it doesn’t have to infiltrate your organization. By proactively addressing employee engagement and satisfaction, and making an intentional effort to keep lines of communication open, HR leaders can spot the warning signs and head off resenteeism before it takes hold.

Steven Waudby, senior recruiter at Delta Hire