Stop Calling It 'Quiet Quitting'!

Quiet quitting is the most recent terminology being thrown around amidst a growingly disengaged workforce. The pandemic caused workers in all industries to reconsider their careers. This spurred “The Great Resignation” and millions changing jobs to find a better fit, an increase in pay and work-life balance. A Gallup survey found that 54% of respondents, born after 1989, were self-described as “not engaged,” showing up to work and only doing the bare minimum.?

The concept of “quiet quitting” or the action of not working beyond one’s position level, job description or overtime without extra pay is not a new concept. It is new jargon for society to label employees who are unhappy. Their positive feelings towards their job have faded for a reason. Not having an employees-first management style from the top down creates an unsupportive and negative work environment. Instead, companies of all sizes need to adjust old ways of doing business and adapt to meet their employees’ needs.?

At Fearey, I strive to maintain a foundation centered around relationships. Relationships with our staff, with our clients and with our industry peers. I charge everyone with building and maintaining relationships so that we know when someone is happy or unhappy. When everyone cares about their team members and the work, it typically produces better and more impactful results for our clients. This is a key reason we have been recognized by numerous “best places to work” lists and we will not stop until we make those lists as often as we can.

Happy and fulfilled employees also come from a place of being in the right role. The pool of talent has never been deeper and placement with the right customers, projects and tasks that bring out the best in everyone is paramount. Seeing someone grow within a role and shine is such a rewarding experience. Everyone should develop a goal that is to always retain your talent while creating the most collaborative environment. Look, my business is not perfect. Nobody has a perfect model cause we're all human. But we can strive to be perfect! It is a vision to always be and do better while learning from our mistakes of the past.

When I hear complaints about quiet quitting and the Great Resignation, I initially think that business leaders are not actively engaging with their staff. People need to do better and try harder to connect with everyone as often as possible so they have a true pulse on what is happening. I have an open-door policy and want to hear more than work updates. Jobs should not be purely a transactional relationship. It should also focus on what is important, celebrating wins of all sizes both in and out of the 8-5 work culture.

Attrition happens no matter how great the role, workload and fun perks. My goal is to have open and honest conversations when an employee is thinking about pursuing other opportunities. I would rather have advanced notice and help them network into a role that is perfect for their background and long-term goals than see them make a change only to look for the exit after a year or so.?After all, we are all doing this journey for adventures and for the relationships that feed our souls. We are focused on helping people build their portfolios so that they are ready for their next gig, whenever that time comes.

Leaders need to address any issues head on and make long-lasting changes in order to keep their employees. It is easy to place the blame on a new, vague phenomena circulating the internet and social media. Do not blame your problems on 'quiet quitting' - after all, there is no such thing if you work to uncover the issues.