Countless headlines and viral social media posts have fuelled workplace challenges and buzzword trends like “quiet quitting,” “quiet firing” and “quiet hiring”.
Quiet quitting describes the psychological withdrawal of an employee, resulting from not being engaged at work or having a poor work-life balance. While the employee does not leave, they are no longer giving their best efforts. In contrast, quiet firing and quiet hiring are playing a large role in employee dissatisfaction, burnout and turnover.
Quiet firing describes when managers fail to adequately provide coaching, support and career development to an employee, which results in pushing the employee out of the company. Quiet hiring is when an employer notices that an employee is doing well and putting in extra unpaid effort, then decides to give them even more work or responsibility without appropriate remuneration.
This wave of employee disengagement and disillusionment was sparked by a convergence of external factors, including the rise of remote working, widespread burnout, and a generational movement prioritising work with purpose and social impact. However, there have always been workers who do the bare minimum, and those who feel their professional development is stifled.
For those business leaders who struggle to manage remote and flexible working practices, approximately 85 per cent of global leaders according to Microsoft, the rise of quiet trends adds another layer of complexity.
There are three key things that small business leaders can do to address the quiet trends, building better workplaces that attract and retain talent.
1. Reduce risk by swimming with the tide
Though some business leaders yearn for comfortable pre-pandemic workplace norms, it’s clear there’s no turning back. Employees have shown they can be adaptable, creative and productive when given autonomy. Further, Australian workers rank flexibility as their second highest work priority behind compensation.
Those who don’t meet employee expectations could face considerable costs and lost productivity due to higher turnover. And for consumer and client-facing businesses the risk is greater, as disengaged staff and high turnover can result in reputational damage.
SME leaders should understand that supporting and retaining good employees is essential to business growth and success.
2. Foster employee buy-in through transparency
Acknowledging new workplace expectations, thoughtfully applying lessons learned over the past few years, and demonstrating a willingness to continue to evolve, will stand business leaders in good stead moving forward.
Continuing the transparency and trust required of business leaders during pandemic lockdowns, companies should maintain safe and supportive workplaces that promote employees’ best interests. For example, businesses that require employees to work a certain number of days in the office should communicate the rationale behind that policy. If specific reasons aren’t given, it may be perceived as an arbitrary or ‘backward’ decision.
Walking the team through decisions and being transparent about the business will ultimately foster trust and employee buy-in, which leads to better engagement and productivity.
3. Create value with unambiguous performance metrics
Clear targets give employees a sense of purpose and accountability that helps to combat disengagement. Businesses should move away from outdated measures like hours spent in the office and computer idling time and establish more meaningful performance-based targets.
Precise metrics are beneficial for both employees and employers. Staff can better understand the value they contribute, while managers can better track the productivity of remote or hybrid teams.
Clear performance targets also allow employees to balance work and personal obligations, knowing they must manage their time to meet deadlines and KPIs. Add this to training programs, wellness and family leave policies, and employees will feel more valued and therefore value their job.
Employee advocacy is a business’ greatest asset, and those who take steps to overcome the quiet trends by evolving and communicating confidence in their team will reap the benefits.
