The perception of work is changing extremely rapidly in our society. While a few months ago, the phenomenon of The Great Resignation Once upon a time in American companies, we are now witnessing a very different resignation, since it is not really one. We call it the” Quiet Quitting ”, which can be translated into French as the” Silent resignation ”. What is behind this term? What are the main reasons given by employees for no longer engaging at work? What are the solutions or tools that companies can put in place so that this trend does not take root permanently within their teams? We will answer any questions you may have.
What is quiet quitting?
A concept that hides a profound disengagement
Quiet quitting refers to the fact, for an employee, of Perform only the bare minimum of tasks in his job. This therefore means no longer working overtime, no longer taking initiatives, no longer accepting any responsibility, no longer helping colleagues with their missions, etc. This does not mean that he is no longer doing his job properly, but he is strictly limited to it.
When an employee practices quiet quitting, it is generally a Sign of low motivation And of a very low commitment within the company. Productivity can also drop, because he no longer necessarily gives himself the means to do more. Relationships within teams can also deteriorate: with the withdrawal of a person, communication is limited to what is mandatory and all information is no longer always transmitted properly.
Origins across the Atlantic
The phenomenon of quiet quitting is not new: some people have been doing it without knowing it for years. On the other hand, the trend seems to have gained momentum in recent months.
In the United States, it has been highlighted on social networks, especially on TikTok. In particular, one video was relayed all over the world, with more than 3 million views. She advises subscribers to stop scrambling at work, to stop killing themselves and to stop supporting “hustle culture” (the culture of burn-out). She concludes by saying that “work is not your life and your value is not indexed to your productivity.” Words that seemed to resonate in the heads of millions of people around the world.
A very present trend among the new generations
Quiet quitting has therefore been highlighted through social networks. The new generations were naturally the first to claim this philosophy in relation to work.
Different studies have shown that Generations Y and Z were more attentive to working conditions and to the meaning of their missions than to their job description. The ADO Research Institute even indicates in one of its latest studies that 70% of young people would be ready to quit their job if they were forced to return to 100% in-person.
Another point is interesting to mention: according to a study carried out by Malakoff Humanis, employees under 30 would be more affected by poor mental health. For them, quiet quitting is therefore a way of protect yourself against certain excesses from the world of work, which can lead to burn-out.
What are the reasons given by employees?
Now that you know what this phenomenon involves, it's time to learn more about why employees no longer work beyond the missions for which they are paid. Here are the ones that come back the most.
The lack of recognition
Quiet quitting can be a Reaction to a professional disappointment. An employee who has tried to get involved, to give the best of himself and who does not receive promotion, or even recognition, can easily stop wanting to do more. The same is true for people who feel “put in the closet”, that is to say that their manager no longer gives them the means to train, progress and evolve.
Preserving your mental health
The second reason regularly mentioned by employees is The desire to preserve yourself mentally. Indeed, the multiplication of tasks and the increase of responsibilities almost always increase the level of stress.
Being frequently anxious about one's job generally harms one's personal life, since stress does not automatically disappear once work schedules are over. This situation is less and less accepted by employees.
The desire to better balance personal and professional life
This desire to preserve one's mental health is linked to the third reason mentioned by people who resign silently. They are now looking for a better balance between their work and their personal life... and this automatically means no longer working overtime, no longer responding to requests after office hours, no longer accepting responsibilities that cause permanent stress in their daily lives, etc.
In this regard, lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic played a role. By spending more time at home, by refocusing on their families, some employees realized that they gave too much importance to their work, and not enough to their personal life.
The very definition of work
Finally, some consider that doing only the tasks listed on their job description is “the very definition of work.” A minority of people simply do not ask themselves the question and only achieve the bare minimum that is required of them.
How to act in the face of quiet quitting?
Quiet quitting must alert businesses, as it has negative consequences on employer brand, career management, culture and even productivity. It can attest to employee discomfort and a certain disengagement. Here are some tips to prevent this trend and ensure that the phenomenon does not take hold in your organization permanently.
Diagnose the situation with employees
As a business, you must first Take stock of the situation within your workforce. To do this, don't rely solely on performance and productivity KPIs. Instead, try to gather information about the level of employee engagement, their agreement with the company's values, their well-being, relationships within their team and with their manager, etc. Do not hesitate to also ask people who leave the company during the offboarding interview to define what they lacked to want to continue working for you.
Implement actions to meet their expectations
This may seem obvious, and yet: many companies collect data concerning the needs of their employees, but do nothing with it. It is therefore essential to take the next step: acting to meet expectations of your collaborators.
Take stock of the elements that came up the most during your diagnoses: working conditions, management, career development, etc. If you want your employees to be motivated, you must give them reasons to be motivated. So be attentive to their requests and to their profound needs.
Create commitment and encourage initiative
Finally, you need to find a way to create commitment for your employees. This is essential if you want them to be involved beyond their tasks and to provide you with added value that is unique to them. Also try to encourage initiative as much as possible. This allows both to value the employee and generate creativity within the company.
Some tools can allow you to make your employees actors, while giving more meaning to their work. This is the case of The Teamstarter platform.
A platform for participatory financing in business, it allows each employee to propose, carry out and finance projects. Thus, they invest in projects that are important to them and that are meaningful to them. Each month, a budget is allocated to each of them.
Engaging employees in this way in projects alongside their daily tasks is an effective way to: To keep them engaged, to make them actors and to promote their team spirit.
Discover the expectations of the new generations at work!
Download the summary of our webinar to understand the expectations of new generations on the job market: recruitment, onboarding, retention, and more. Take advantage of the feedback and best practices shared by Laurent Charveriat, CEO of I-Tracing, and Florent Letourneur, CEO of We Feel Good. Don't miss this opportunity to stay at the forefront of HR trends!
Quiet quitting is a growing phenomenon in businesses. Employees are less and less eager to invest time and energy in their employers. This is mainly due to a lack of recognition, a desire to prioritize one's own well-being and to have a better balance between professional and personal life. If you want your employees to be committed to you, listen to their needs and put in place adapted solutions, specially created to promote commitment and initiative in business.
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