If it is, what do you do about it? In a previous blog I, discussed the so-called phenomenon of quiet quitting and who is responsible. In truth, count me as a skeptic that quiet quitting exists except as an attention-getting label. How is it different now than what people have done for years when they found a job overwhelming?
But whether you think it is a “thing” or not, the behaviors associated with quiet quitting need to be addressed. Before we accuse someone of quietly quitting, however, we need to ask some questions: First, what makes us think so? Has their behavior changed? In what ways? Has their productivity gone down? In what ways? How are we measuring that? If you take a few minutes to reflect on these questions, you may find that you’re being influenced, like so many others, by the catchy term rather than reality.
The way work is being done has evolved dramatically since the beginning of 2020. This is especially true of those who are working remotely or in some hybrid way. They’ve discovered efficiencies and methods they didn’t bother to look for when they we’re commuting to the office Monday through Friday. So, now they’re pushing back on some of the procedures and parameters they simply accepted prior to the pandemic and lockdowns. You and I would too. But this does NOT mean they are working less.
Second, are you seeing the signs of leaving behavior? I’ve written about this several times. There is a link in this post to one of those articles. Of course, leaving behavior looks somewhat different when people are working remotely. But they still display signs that will provide you indications that they are looking for another opportunity. If you are seeing these signs, it is always better to approach them than to be caught unprepared if they announce their departure. Look for my post next week where I’ll identify the signs of leaving behavior in remote and hybrid workplaces.
Third, open the door to discussing how work is changing. You may have some trepidation about this because your team may bring up concerns that have no solution or will demand change to the processes you hold near and dear. But in all the research I have been doing, the one consistent theme among leaders and managers who are making this workplace shift successfully is that they are working collaboratively with their teams. I’ll talk more about this in future posts.
Rather than being worried about whether those on your team are quietly quitting, take time to consider if the output is the same, even if the approach is different. After all, outcome is always more important than process, especially in these evolving times. Right?