Quiet quitting

The way we resign is changing

Quiet quitting is a phenomenon that has appeared in the United States and is slowly coming to Europe. The trend doesn’t represent a radical resignation, but rather a slow and gradual movement of withdrawal. 

It’s mainly due to a lack of fulfillment and consideration felt by the employees. One could easily generalize this phenomenon and denounce a lack of professional awareness; in this case, it’s false. 

The reason why some employees act in this way is to preserve themselves, "to take their foot off the gas to preserve their mental health and well-being".

Some people link quiet quitting to the young generation Z employees. They have had to grow up and evolve professionally in a difficult context of economic and health crises. The priority is no longer 100% on work; ecology, inflation, energy costs, food, ... are other important concerns for young people (and all others for that matter).

So, what should we learn from all this?

The first thing is to become aware of it, to know that this phenomenon exists, that we can understand it, and above all accept it despite our own opinions. We are entering a new professional era, the world of work is changing and so are the workers.

A culture of acknowledgement

There are many actions to put in place. Recognition and consideration are becoming increasingly important among workers. Employers need to be alert to the warning signs and be able to identify the struggles of some employees. 

Recognition can indeed be expressed through salary and financial benefits but there's more: 

◽ The hierarchical relationship is very important; feeling heard, being able to have a transparent dialogue with one's managers, working in a climate of trust, etc.

◽ The balance between private and professional life is also key. Offering a degree of flexibility to your employees to allow them to carry out their personal activities or authorize teleworking shows that you are embracing the new ways of working.

As HR, what can we do?

Focus once again on our employer branding and above all, don't make empty promises. If well-being at work is important for our company, it should be reflected in the facts and not only on LinkedIn. 

We can also focus on three things: communication, onboarding, and training. This concerns recruitment and new employees, but also the retention of existing employees. 

We sometimes forget about the follow-up of more experienced professionals and this is a mistake; even managers need training. They need to be aware of new trends, such as Quiet Quitting.
 

 - Louise Hallet, Talent Acquisition Specialist HR

Connect with Louise on LinkedIn.