Quiet Quitters and How to Re-engage the Voice of the Employee

It’s the newest buzzword and the latest trend. The New York Times, Time Magazine, and CNN are all reporting on one topic affecting big business right now: quiet quitting. But what exactly is it? And is it harming your business? If it is, how do you address it?

Quiet Quitting originated in China over a year ago. Employees, burnt out from the pandemic, 60-hour work weeks, and impossible deadlines, began taking a step back in the office. They showed up at the beginning of their shifts, accepted only the responsibilities they were contracted to perform, and then left as soon as it was time to clock out. Then, they'd shut off all messaging apps until they returned to work.

As the trend caught on in western countries, it was quickly adopted by gen-z and given a new name, Quiet Quitting. A misnomer, as these workers aren’t actually quitting. They’ve just reevaluated their lives and made some adjustments to create a better work-life balance.

Most are just quietly setting boundaries for themselves. They want to do their jobs. They want to do them well while supporting their mental health. They’re evaluating their mentality and making changes to separate their office life from home.

More people are working from home than ever; 69% as opposed to pre-pandemic 23%, according to a study done by Pew Research Center; https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2022/02/16/covid-19-pandemic-continues-to-reshape-work-in-america/ .  And with 24/7 messaging capabilities across multiple apps, it can feel like you’re never really off the clock. Making sure you take real, meaningful time away from work means you can come back the next day ready to give it your all.  You can read more about how to combat communication overload here: "Is This Just Another Thing" .  In that article, Zane Whitner, our VP of Product, discusses how LoopingBack helps your company prioritize its communications and create a healthy work/life balance.

That doesn’t mean that quiet quitting is all good. Some employees are so disengaged that it’s affecting productivity. But how do we effectively re-engage our employees? Going above and beyond has been a part of the American work ethic for over a century. We’re a nation of go-getters, so how do we encourage our employees to go and get?

Even the most dedicated employees will disengage if they feel their best ideas will be ignored or not given proper credit. Real issues at work either fall on deaf ears or never make it far enough up the food chain to be addressed.  Identifying these ideas and issues can be done through regular and consistent employee surveys.  But sending out eNPS surveys is unlikely to get you any good, actionable information on how you can help to re-engage your teams.

Having a chain of command and respecting it is essential. You cannot have everyone from the proverbial mailroom to the data analysts running to you with every little issue. Good leadership is delegating tasks to capable individuals. However, sometimes we just need to sit in the cubicle with a new guy and gain some perspective on how best to support him in his role.

So, if John in cubicle 23-A is performing lower than expected, how do you, as a CEO, engage him? We talk about Voice of the Employee a lot now, but are we actually hearing them? Will an employee feel heard after answering a 10-question, multiple-choice survey with an optional text box at the bottom?

LoopingBack offers an innovative solution for companies wanting to know their staff’s needs. Our platform allows you to send out a company-wide loop asking for feedback on how to engage its most valuable asset, the employees. It offers sincere engagement with your company to get honest, actionable feedback.

There’s a good chance that the solution to your company’s biggest problem is within your company, sitting in cubicle 23-A. But if they don’t feel trusted or heard, they’re not going to speak up. They certainly aren’t going to feel a desire to go above and beyond.

Give your employees the voice they need, an occasional, well-scheduled opportunity, and plenty of response time to make their most significant ideas and concerns feel heard. Then let LoopingBack sort and filter through the responses to prioritize them.