Sloan likened the two terms to scenes within the “third act” of a 20-year drama of which we are all observers and participants. He explained in an October interview with Hypepotamus that the first act started after 9/11, when people began searching for more meaningful work experiences. The second act started with the Great Recession, when employees felt less certain about corporate leadership practices. Quiet Quitting is a sign that we have started the third act. “We can use the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance – to appreciate these phenomena. The Great Resignation is a highly emotional response to worker dissatisfaction, similar to the second stage of grief – anger. “Quiet quitters can be described by the third and fourth stages of bargaining and depression,” Sloan continued. “Rather than allowing workers to remain in this place, leaders have the opportunity to move their people to a better ending – one that aligns workers’ personal purpose in meaningful roles as part of great teams. “We can quickly see the signals … People that can be described as a ‘quiet quitter’ are also unlikely to utilize any of the company’s employee assistant programs (EAP) or engage in the team-building experiences that companies offer,” he said. “People want to be part of something greater than themselves. They want to know their companies exist for a higher purpose than just profits.” Williams added that workers who feel they are treated unfairly, have unmanageable workloads or feel a lack of support or communication are at the highest risk for quiet quitting. “Companies should be on the lookout for signs of disengagement, decreased levels of contribution or performance, and employees only meeting minimum performance standards,” Williams said. “Companies can mitigate this by ensuring those in positions of leadership are the right people for the role with the right skills. “Having a bad boss who doesn’t provide support, doesn’t communicate clearly and doesn’t promote a sense of team or provide required resources is a recipe for either a revolving door of turnover or high disengagement, which I consider synonymous with quiet quitting,” Williams continued. “Companies should ensure that managers are provided fundamental skills training in leadership, strategic thinking, communication and emotional intelligence. Companies can craft clear career paths, provide fair compensation, and promotional opportunities. Finally, managers can be challenged to consider how they are measuring success across results, process and relationships, he concluded.” Answers do exist to solve quiet quitting and disengagement. “Change always starts with awareness,” Sloan said. “Workforce pulses and engagement surveys are key to creating a baseline for any future of work initiatives. When workers truly believe that leaders will embrace change, it is critical to invite change agents to step up to champion these initiatives. Being open to ‘quiet leaders’ is also crucial. Leaders also need to continue leveraging technology to improve workplace culture and create a sense of belonging within teams and organizations.” Williams added, “Employees ultimately want to work for companies where they can learn, be challenged, grow, contribute, and have fun. Employees most frequently quit or become disengaged due to a poor relationship with their direct manager.” In turn, “Organizations should make conscious investments in growing managerial capability, skills and talent from within.,” he continued. “Focus on developing listening skills, emotional intelligence, and leadership abilities.” Williams said workers want to work for someone who is authentic, supportive, caring, and challenges them to be their best each day. “I believe organizations also should plan and invest in on-site gathering to connect on a deeper, more human level, especially if the team or company are mostly remote,” Williams continued. “Finally, HR departments can take a proactive approach by setting up communication channels and issue pulse surveys to get a sense of employee well-being, workloads and where support is needed.” J How Collaboration Solutions Are Used Most Productive Day for Workers Source: Robert Half Talent Solutions Forty percent of workers globally say that they might leave their jobs in the new future Source: McKinsey & Co. Overall Total likelihood Likelyhood that respondents will leave their current job in next 3-8 months, % Almost certainly Very likely Likely At risk of attrition Somewhat likely Not at all likely 40 5 6 7 22 60 5 4 8 24 59 5 2 8 22 62 14 18 12 22 34 4 7 11 27 51 3 5 4 22 67 6 6 7 20 60 41 38 66 49 33 40 Australia Canada India Singapore UK US 45% 35% 25% 11% 12% 6% 5% 7% 6% 4% 5% 40% 43% 29% 31% 27% 20% 12% 13% 11% 5% 6% 5% MON TUES WED Remote In-office THURS FRI SAT+SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT+SUN 2019 2022 70% 66% 62% Mostly agree Partially agree Mostly disagree 35 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com
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