Attention Businesses: Workers Want More from Their Jobs
In 2022, a new phrase entered the business lexicon: quiet quitting. The term was coined to describe a form of worker disengagement in which the employee performs at the bare minimum level to avoid getting fired, “going through the motions” without passion, commitment, or concern for quality.
Although there’s always been a worker cohort who were just “in it for the paycheck,” who had no interest in their employer’s success or failure, those who practiced quiet quitting felt safer “coasting” in 2022 than in years past. This is due to the historically low level of surplus employees in the job market. Many employers have been reluctant to terminate under-performing workers for one simple reason: there were maddingly few applicants to replace them. Many businesses figured it was far better to tolerate a few low-energy workers than to have no one to do the work at all.
Societally, observers view quiet quitting as a symptom of post-pandemic burnout. The peak COVID months put huge strains on workers throughout the Western economies and left many at all levels questioning their life choices. The so-called Great Resignation, which saw a full third of American workers either quit or change jobs between 2020 and 2021, was the first major trend to result from this trauma. Quiet quitting has been labeled the second.
However, this diagnosis may be incorrect. Research suggests quiet quitting is just The Great Resignation Redux, but without going so far as to actually pull the plug. As with The Great Resignation, quiet quitting is the result of people questioning their priorities and reevaluating the personal pros and cons of their employment. So, it needs to be addressed in the same way.
The pandemic has also led two thirds of employees to reflect on what they do, with 83% saying “finding meaning in day-to-day work” was a top priority, according to studies by McKinsey & Co., PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP). Nearly three fourths (69%) of workers would even change jobs for more fulfillment, according to the PwC report. (It also found highly fulfilled employees plan on staying at their organizations three years longer than unfulfilled employees.)
What does this tell us? The bottom line is that employees do want more from work. Greater than a high salary or unique perks and benefits, they desire the sense of fulfillment that comes from doing work they feel has purpose/meaning and the feeling they belong to a workplace “community.”
Unfortunately, nearly 1 in 3 employees still feel unfulfilled at the office. And, according to O.C. Tanner’s 5 Culture Trends for 2023, this makes them:
399% more likely to actively look for another job
340% more likely to leave the organization within a year
47% less likely to put in great effort to help their organization succeed
71% less likely to promote the business as a good place to work
Let’s back up for a moment to discuss the concept of fulfillment. It’s bigger than engagement or job satisfaction, according to business culture experts. Four main factors combine to deliver fulfillment:
Community
Balance
Growth
Purpose
So how do we deliver these to employees in 2023? Here are four ways:
Community: This has become a major challenge for companies now that vast swaths of their employees work remotely from home. Fortunately, a recent study published in The Harvard Business Review offers a simple answer: Encourage video conferencing, especially simple one-to-one meetings. According to the HBR, the more short-duration video conferences workers have with other employees, the greater their sense of engagement. Particularly effective are "spontaneous” video calls—by definition, unscheduled—whereby workers simply call up one another to work through issues or propose solutions on-the-fly.
Balance: The idea that the 14-hour workday or seven-day work week is something to wear as a badge of pride is fast becoming obsolete. In fact, just the opposite is happening. Last year, scores of companies throughout the developed world experimented with something once thought unthinkable: The four-day work week. Many were astonished to find overall productivity stayed the same. 15 percent were shocked to find it actually increased! Most of the companies that participated in the study say they are eager to stick with the new regimen. It may take a decade or more for the four-day workweek to become the norm…but we can see it coming.
Growth Opportunities: It’s now an axiom that employees want to work for companies that provide them opportunities for continuing education and opportunities to learn new skills. The best way to retain quality workers is to offer them pathways to advancement within your organization.
Purpose: The idea that companies exist merely “to make money” doesn’t fly with a 21st Century workforce. Modern employers-of-choice wishing to attract and retain top talent must express how what they do betters their customers, their communities, and perhaps even the planet, not just in their slogans and “mission statements,” but in how they conduct themselves in every facet.
For more guidance on creating a positive company culture to set you apart from your competition, contact me at laura@conoverconsulting.com. Let’s keep your employees from quiet quitting and get them working loud and proud.