Quiet quitting is a growing phenomenon that affects people in various aspects of their lives, especially in the workplace. This deceptive form of disengagement can have detrimental effects on personal happiness, professional growth, and overall well-being. In this article, we will explore the concept of quiet quitting (also known as silent quitting) and 11 strategies to prevent quiet quitting.
What is quiet quitting?
Quiet quitting occurs when employees lose interest, passion, and commitment to their work, but do not express their dissatisfaction or quit. Instead, they only do the bare minimum to fulfill their responsibilities while mentally disengaging from their roles.
Employees who practice quiet quitting continue to perform their core duties, but are less likely to engage in behaviors known as “citizenship behaviors”: they no longer stay late, arrive early, or attend non-mandatory meetings.
At first glance, this may seem manageable. After all, these employees are not disengaging from their core tasks, they are simply refusing to go beyond them.
However, for many companies, having a workforce willing to go above and beyond is a key competitive advantage.
The reality is that most jobs cannot be fully defined in a formal description or contract, so organizations rely on employees to step up to meet demands as needed.
Furthermore, while going above and beyond what is expected may come at a cost to employees, in a healthy organization, these costs are often offset by benefits such as increased social capital, well-being, and career success.
If not addressed properly, quiet quitting can have serious consequences for your business, such as:
- Lower quality in results
- Poor customer satisfaction
- Higher staff turnover and recruitment costs
- Reduction in creativity and innovation
- Lower morale and teamwork
That’s not all. Quiet quitting can also put a strain on other employees or team members, who may have to take on the responsibilities of the disengaged employees.
11 Ways to Prevent Quiet Quitting
Here are 11 ways to prevent your employees from adopting quiet quitting:
1. Keep workload increases short-term
Continually working at or beyond maximum capacity is not sustainable in the long term. Employees need days off to rest and mentally disconnect, as well as personal time to connect with loved ones. Most employees don’t object to working overtime from time to time, but when this provision is abused and a favor becomes the norm, problems arise.
If you ask employees to take on additional responsibilities, understand that you are changing the operating agreement. The increase should be temporary and, ideally, optional. If the employee is required to take on these new duties indefinitely, then the new workload should be part of an official promotion or carry additional incentives. Otherwise, you are taking away employees’ autonomy and forcing them to accept an agreement that differs from the role they agreed to when they started the job.
2. Compensate your team adequately
Pay disparities are a leading cause of quiet quitting. The problem isn’t necessarily that employees aren’t willing to do extra work, but that they feel the likely rewards aren’t worth the extra effort. Managers may hint at a raise that never materializes, or worse, refuse to acknowledge the extra work or discuss compensation, telling employees to “suck it up” or “be a team player.”
Taking on additional tasks without the employee’s consent can feel like a violation of the employment agreement and the work the team member was hired to do. Employees often feel taken advantage of and may think the company is trying to squeeze out as much free labor as possible. A fair exchange of work for compensation is critical to maintaining the employer’s trust. Without appropriate rewards for extraordinary effort, the employee will likely feel less valued.
3. Make taking on additional responsibilities optional
Not all employees have the same career ambitions or desire to take on additional responsibilities. Career changes should be two-way conversations. Instead of assuming employees want to climb the corporate ladder or are ready for new challenges, assess how they feel about expanding their role. Your team may have a different vision for their future than you expect. You can offer them additional opportunities and encourage them to try new tasks, but you shouldn’t force them into leadership roles, especially if they come with new responsibilities but no official title, influence, or extra pay.
4. Listen to your employees
Quiet quitting doesn’t start quietly. Often, employees voice concerns that managers acknowledge but don’t address or ignore entirely. Team members who feel their managers are oblivious or apathetic to their problems may take action by quitting. Worse, these employees lose trust in their leaders.
Listening to your employees and validating their feelings and experiences can go a long way toward preventing team members from disengaging. Empathy is a powerful tool in the fight against quiet quitting. When employees feel like you understand them and have their interests in mind, they’re less likely to fade into the background.
5. Set boundaries
Quiet quitting allows employees to set boundaries and prevent coworkers or managers from invading their personal time. Before employees resort to this extreme reaction, you can enforce those boundaries on their behalf.
For example:
- Emphasize that answering emails or calls after hours is optional.
- Introduce a system of guards to respond to emergencies.
- Develop a system for marking messages as urgent and define what constitutes an after-hours emergency.
- Reward employees who stay late by allowing them to leave early another day.
- Intervene when coworkers pressure others to take on extra work and create a safe way for staff to report these situations.
- Randomly awards paid personal days.
Advocating for employees can be a highly effective way to prevent quiet quitting. The more vocal you are as a leader in defending your employees’ right to private time, the less likely team members will be to overstep those boundaries. Employees will thank you for being on their side, and by speaking up on their behalf, you’ll save them the stress of having to confront these issues directly.
6. Be clear about promotions
A common complaint from employees who practice quiet quitting is that they end up doing much more than they were hired to do. The reality of an ever-changing business world is that most positions evolve beyond the initial job description, especially in startups. It’s not uncommon for positions to expand in scope over time. However, when these changes occur soon after hiring or are drastic, employees can feel blindsided.
One way to prevent employees from feeling like you’ve changed their initial agreement is to be transparent about promotions during the interview stage. For example, you might mention that, over time, you envision the position expanding to include different responsibilities. Discussing this possibility up front allows you to manage expectations and find a candidate who is comfortable with that growth.
7. Employ employee recognition strategies
Employees who practice quiet quitting often feel undervalued. When their work goes unnoticed or unpraised, they feel like they could stop trying without management noticing or caring—and they are often right. In other words, employees think, “If no one cares either way, why even try?”
Employee recognition strategies are a great tool to combat this mentality. By recognizing and rewarding employees for their outstanding work, you show them that what they do matters to both you and the organization. Plus, employees who receive visibility and recognition are less likely to disengage and fade into the background.
8. Build relationships and build trust
Quiet quitting is the result of a disconnect between employees and employers. Building relationships and building trust with employees is one way to bridge this gap. Team members who feel like their bosses are human beings, and not just authority figures or faceless entities, tend to feel a greater sense of engagement with their work.
These employees are more likely to voice their dissatisfaction, allowing leaders to resolve the issue before it turns into a silent disengagement. Fostering strong social ties between employees and their coworkers, as well as management, can motivate a sense of duty and prevent disappointing colleagues.
9. Monitor mood and behavior changes
Quiet quitters aren’t chronically underperforming employees, but rather disillusioned high performers. If your superstars start to withdraw, take note. A sudden decline in productivity or enthusiasm can be a warning sign that trouble is on the horizon. If previously vocal employees become quiet in meetings or key contributors suddenly stop standing out, dig in to find the root cause.
This behavior doesn’t always indicate quiet quitting, as the employee might simply need a break to recharge or be dealing with personal difficulties. Either way, it’s important to stay on top of your employees’ status and keep an eye out for unusual behavior.
10. Support employee well-being
Many employees view quiet quitting as a necessary measure to protect their mental health. However, this step can be unnecessary if employers proactively address the needs of their workers. When you prioritize your employees’ mental, physical, and emotional health, they feel less of a need to defend themselves from potential harm by withdrawing professionally. Ideally, you should be an ally to your employees, not a threat to their well-being.
By emphasizing your commitment to employee well-being and taking steps to back up those promises, you establish the workplace as a safe space, helping your employees be their full selves and realize their full potential while at work.
11. Encourage breaks and sustainable growth
Work has ups and downs, and employees need breaks and opportunities to recharge. A slight decline in productivity is no cause for alarm. Only when complacency becomes the norm does a problem arise. There is a middle ground between quiet quitting and constant effort. Likewise, there is a balance between success and burnout.
To prevent employees from considering quiet quitting, encourage breaks and sustainable growth. You can set reasonable goals that challenge employees without overwhelming them, and empower your staff to take time to rest instead of giving up.
