One of the iconic silver-screen examples of “Quiet Quitting” was Peter Gibbons, who was ahead of his time in the 1999 movie Office Space when he said “that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.”
Everyone from Forbes to Fortune to The New Yorker is talking about one of the latest buzzwords: “quiet quitting”…but when Merriam-Webster has assigned an official definition to it, we should all probably pay attention:
Quiet Quit (v): to do the minimum amount of work required for a job
This might be true, but those of us in leadership positions have almost certainly been exposed to the “real-world” effects of this trend. Lack of engagement, formerly creative employees acting “checked out”, the daily pace of work slowing down, lack of team and company agility and a general disinterest in the company’s direction and mission.
But who or what is to blame for this general malaise that’s settled over the hearts and minds of so many of our employees? Is it generational? Is it social media? Politics? Inflation?
Look in the mirror
Our employees are practically begging us to give them something to believe in…but it’s more than another Team Building happy hour or a Friday Pizza Party. Make their WORK LIVES more meaningful. The things that will move the needle require more of your TIME, not your money. Develop a relationship with your employees that is more than surface level. I don’t care if you know their daughter’s boyfriend’s name; do you know (actually really KNOW) what they want from their career and how YOU can help show them the path?
– Quality one-on-ones with the real, honest-to-goodness goal of understanding YOUR EMPLOYEE
– Ask them about perks that don’t actually cost you anything but can make a huge difference (hybrid work, semi-flexible work hours, mentorship programs, succession planning, promotion paths, etc)
– Cross-functional team leadership opportunities
– 360 degree reviews
This is not a quick fix, but it’s the only sustainable way to re-engage a workforce…and maybe even rekindle your own job satisfaction in the process.
Thank you for coming to my #FredTalk
