?? Are we a bunch of quitters?

?? On The Clock is a biweekly newsletter sharing opinions and advice on the world of work — and the way it should be. If this episode was sent to you, subscribe here so you don't miss the next one!

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Welcome back to ?? On The Clock. Our biweekly conversation starter about the world of work — and the way it should be.

Let’s talk about that person at work ??

You know the one. They limit their tasks to those strictly within their job description to avoid working longer hours. They don’t do anything extra. They set clear boundaries to improve work-life balance. They even have the audacity to take regular holidays.

In case it’s not obvious, I’m clearly being sarcastic. The above is a person doing their job, but not just to the “above and beyond” standards we’re all told to live up to.

Yet social media has a label for them — quiet quitters. We asked our friends here on LinkedIn for their two cents:

Pretty unanimous.

So, what’s the truth here…Are “quiet quitters” slackers, are companies toxic…or are people just really burnt out?

And what if calling people quiet quitters…is a cop-out? ??

It’s an easy excuse to not talk about the elephant in the room: a huge number of people are disengaged from their work—only 23% of the global workforce is actively engaged in their role.

These unengaged employees aren’t just phoning it in — it’s also dragging down companies.

The reality is, disengaged team members can also lead to higher staff turnover and a constant need to hire new people, onboard them, and ramp them….the costs quickly snowball.

Some companies (yes, like Toggl) are doing things differently to keep teams engaged and productive ??

Check your team’s happiness levels

Research has now found a direct link between engaged and happy employees and fewer sick days, higher productivity, enhanced creativity, and positive workplace relationships.?

Meaningful conversations between managers and their teams can be a powerful way to empower people to do their best work. Managers here at Toggl do this with a quarterly performance chat about how a team member feels in their role.

Instead of focusing on metrics, team members are asked questions like:

• Are you enjoying work? If yes, why? If not, why?
• What are you proud of from Q2?
• Did you complete all the planned work for Q2? If not, what happened?
• Is your current work aligned with your broader development path?
• What needs to happen to make your Q3 a good one?

Alongside this, even a quick 15-minute weekly 1:1 can help spot if someone is starting to check out of their role and realign their role with what they want to be doing at work.

Hold people accountable — but make goals realistic

Managers are on the frontline to combat quiet quitting. They are the glue that holds a team together and empowers people to see how their work contributes to a company’s larger purpose.

Getting buy-in from the team is something the management team works really hard at here at Toggl. Take quarterly metrics. They aren’t set in a vacuum by management but decided mutually between team members and team leaders.

In our team, our Chief Revenue Officer, Andrew , creates high-level department goals but also touches base individually to discuss granular metrics and projects.

Not only does this make us all have some skin in the game, but it also lets us have a say in what’s possible. This alignment helps guide the projects we will all be working on and accountable for.

The quick tl;dr here is this.?

Work environments are a two-way street. Most employees want to do good work. Listen to them, empower them, and do your bit to keep them motivated.

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