Quiet Quitting

The COVID-19 outbreak not only impacted everyone's life with restrictions and a ban on
public meetings, but it also prompted some people to reconsider their career choices.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the Great Resignation, 71.6 million
people resigned from their jobs between April 2021 and April 2022, or an average of 3.98
million people quit monthly. In June 2022, the number of individuals quitting their
jobs reached 4.2 million. People are not only resigning from their positions but they also want
to limit their workloads.
After the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting is becoming increasingly significant.
The current workplace buzz is "Quiet Quitting." Given the fact that quiet quitting may sound
as though it is referring to resignation, it alludes to a revolt against the hustling culture of
going above and beyond what a job requires. It is associated with high levels of stress and
burnout at work, which leads to less work and decreased levels of productivity.
The term ‘Quiet Quitting’ came to visibility after popular TikToker Zaid Khan (@zkchillin) a
24-year-old software engineer and musician with over 10,000 followers, in a soothing voice
with a video of the New York City subway. The basic idea is to gradually leave a job rather
than leaving it abruptly. “Not outright quitting your job, but you’re quitting the idea of going
above and beyond,” as described by the social media influencer. To enhance work-life
balance, employees want to set clear boundaries and perform the bare minimum to get the job
done. These workers are still performing their job duties, but they are not subscribing to the
"work is life" culture that would guide them to advance in their careers and stand out to their
superiors.

The movement was started by the pandemic that caused workers to rethink what work would
entail, including the possibility of increasing remote work, reducing work on Fridays, or in
extreme cases, like the Great Resignation, not working at all. This phrase really became
popular in China in 2021 when an internet user criticized firms for forcing employees to put
their jobs ahead of their mental health. In China, it is frequently referred to as "laying flat" or
"tang ping." This movement spread to Australia as well and within very less time, many
employees started sharing their experiences on social media websites. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics reports that in June 2022, the average number of people quitting jobs in the
Professional and Business Services industry was more than double the number of layoffs, at
3.3 people (per 100) versus 1.5 for layoffs. 1
In one of the economic times articles titled-Quiet Quitting: A wakeup call for companies?
Here’s what HRs can do about it! According to Uma Rao G, chief human resources officer
of Granules India Quiet Quitting started long before the pandemic and it cannot be restricted
to a specific profile, it can be more evident among high-performing individuals who are
familiar with their KRAs and capable of exceeding the established performance standards.
SV Nathan, Partner, and Chief Talent Officer, Deloitte India said Employees during
pandemic put in long hours of work without knowing when to quit leading to stress and
burnout. Once the pandemic situation got back to normal employees started rationalizing
their work and they realized that stretching the time limits too far wouldn't be sustainable or
good for their health in the long term.

According to Deloitte's 2022 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, boomers and Gen X
leaders approach work in a very different way than younger generations. While younger
employees are more concerned with a balanced lifestyle and are primarily driven by money,
older workers tend to prefer the rise and grind mindset. While research by
ResumeBuilder.com revealed that 25% of employees across all age groups stated they are
performing the bare minimum at work, among millennials, the percentage rises to 30%.
Comparatively, just 8% of those over 54 reported decreasing productivity levels. While
younger workers are more likely to quietly leave their jobs, dissatisfaction is pervasive across
the workforce. In the Wellness at Work study by Employment Hero 2022, 53% of employees
reported feeling burnt out from their jobs, and 52% rated their work-life balance as poor.

Depending on the employee's motives for wanting to reduce their workload, there are many
different ways to show that they are quietly quitting a job. The symptoms of an employee
who is genuinely dissatisfied may be far more obvious than those of someone who just wants
to achieve a better work-life balance. Some signs of quiet quitting are:

1
https://www.mentorcliq.com/blog/quiet-quitting-mentoring-impact
 not going to meetings or disengagement in meetings- While one or more of your
company coworkers could be disengaged due to various reasons, such as a
difficult day at work, burnout, or even personal issues that have impacted their
work life, they might also be disengaged in an effort to gradually reduce their
involvement. Poor listening, a lack of focus, making little to no comments during
meetings, or arriving late are all indications of disengagement. Extremely
disengaged staff members may even skip meetings entirely.

 less participation in team projects- Quiet quitting is a practice that makes

employees terrible team members. It's possible that one or more of them have
psychologically disengaged if they're departing quietly. Employees that don't get
along well on your team can also think that collaboration extends beyond their job
duties.  Before they can explain putting collaboration first, they can feel that they
deserve to be paid more.

 lack of passion or enthusiasm- A lack of excitement is a red flag that someone

could be quietly leaving their position. Your employees may be losing motivation
if they aren't completing their tasks on time, contributing to your shared goals, or
participating in meetings.

 decreased productivity- If you see that several team members are doing the bare
minimum or are starting to lose interest, it might be necessary to make some
changes. Quiet quitting may be a sign that an employee is trying to strike a better
work-life balance or is lacking motivation as a result of a hectic workplace.

 Other signs could be not taking up work beyond their job responsibilities, leaving
the organization on time, absenteeism, being less engaged emotionally, no
boundaries set, poor compensation and less enthusiasm for going above and above
to get a promotion at work.
Over the past two decades, there have been significant changes in workplace culture. The
pandemic and subsequent recessions have only made professionals' work difficulties worse.
Additionally, generation Z and millennials are facing a lack of opportunity and income
inequality. A study found that coworkers and workplace culture have a greater impact on
people's perception of job satisfaction than salary, which is bad news for those who believe
that the possibility of earning more money is all it takes to create intense enthusiasm.

 No shared values or purpose- For attracting, retaining, and engaging individuals in the
modern workplace, culture, inclusiveness, and diversity are key factors. For attracting,
retaining, and engaging individuals in the modern workplace, culture, inclusiveness,
and diversity are key factors. In a recent survey conducted by Robin, 88% of Gen Z
workers said that all three factors are somewhat significant to total job satisfaction.
The same beliefs are shared by millennials, who likewise favor businesses that are
moral, inclusive, and socially conscious. When an employee’s values and belief
systems do not match with the company’s value system then they feel less motivated
to do work beyond their job responsibilities, disengaged with the organization, and
find it difficult to remain loyal to the organization. As per the data collected from
surveys done by Deloitte showed that 2 in 5 Gen Z employees have not accepted the
job offer or assignments as it did not align with their values.

 Burnout factor- Stress due to intense workloads, tight deadlines, and job security can
lead to burnout which eventually affects their mental health. Survey data done by
According to Deloitte, 4 out of 10 Gen Z and millennial workers are suffering from
increased anxiety and depression as a result of the difficulties and demands of their
jobs. 73% of millennials work more than 40 hours a week, and over 25% of them
have two or more jobs. These workers quit silently due to the exertion and stress of
having insufficient pay and excessive workloads. According to Gallup's State of the
Global Workplace 2022 study, productivity losses from disengaged employees cost
the global economy USD 7.8 trillion, and companies are losing $102,000 per year or
more due to lower engagement for every 100 employees, or 17 out of every 100
disengaged employees.

Performance management can address this issue as it is an ongoing and continuous

process of communicating job duties, key performance indicators on which the
employee’s performance will be measured and feedback mechanisms as this will
provide clarity to the organization and to the employees. Other ways are-

 The managers should communicate the key performance indicators to their

employees so that the employees are aware of the basis they are being
measured.
 There should be clear organizational goals and those goals should be further
broken down to departmental goals and should be communicated to the
employees so that they will be motivated and satisfied, it will further help the
employees in performance appraisal, productivity and cost improvement, and
recruitment or selection.
 Performance should be measured by declarative knowledge, procedural
knowledge, and motivation and if any of these are missing then the outcome
is 0.
 The HR of the companies should also inform the employees on what will they
be measured. Will the employees be measured on behavior, result or trait.
 The managers should make sure Specific role competencies should be made
clear to the employees so that they know what is expected to perform the
given job role. For example- competencies of market research would be
social media and print media. Then identify the key indicators of each
competency, measurement plan, and lastly determine the performance
standards.
 Even if the projects or the work that the employees were working on for a
long time gets cancelled or gets outdated. The organization should recognize
and the employee’s efforts should be used in some manner. This will boost
employee morale and motivation.
 Organizations should encourage a Balance Score Card for every department
through this they can know how their work will affect customers, process,
innovation or finance the organizational goal as well as the individual goals.
 The HR can have open and honest communication with the employee mainly
during increasing workloads and workloads should be realistic
 Employers should be transparent, communicative, listen to what employees
need, and set work boundaries, which facilitate a positive workplace culture
that allows for a good work-life, HR practices and policies should be framed
using employee’s help. The organizations can discuss how the organization as
a whole can improve the emotional and mental well-being of the employees,
understand the needs of the employees, work should be given where the
employees learn or benefit something from doing that work, and more
informal discussions should be practiced.