The Cure for Quiet Quitting

It’s more than just being a “good boss”

We are experiencing a massive shift in workplace culture throughout the U.S., and we’re only just getting into the growing pains. Employees demand flexible working conditions, wages that keep pace with the cost of living, and more vacation time. So, of course, it makes good people sense for a company to show that they value their employees in these ways, but none of it will increase employee engagement and retention if manager training keeps getting pushed aside.

The term quiet-quitting has gained traction lately, but it’s just a new name for an old problem. When people feel undervalued and under-appreciated, they try to repay the feeling. Enter clock-punching or quiet-quitting. Every workday, every employee, including managers, makes a choice. Will they do the least amount of work allowed in their job description? Or will they go above and beyond in their work?

The motivation and reason behind choosing either option can almost always be traced back to managers. Employees who feel their manager truly cares for and values them are more willing to go that extra mile. A recent study in the Harvard Business Review has come to the same conclusion as to why leadership training for managers is so vital.

The Data

The data from the study shows that quiet-quitting isn’t about an employee being lazy or unwilling to work. Instead, it’s about managers building a relationship with each of their direct reports. The data shows that the most influential leaders had teams with only about 3% quiet-quitting and 62% willing to go the extra mile. These above-average managers could balance relationships with results, creating work environments where the employees felt valued.

After a few years in the workforce, most people have experienced great managers they were willing to go the extra mile for and managers who only inspired them to do the bare minimum. Unfortunately, few people are naturally great managers, and most are in their roles for their productivity prowess or seniority, not their leadership skills. This presents a real problem for a company culture since a lack of employee engagement can increase turnover and reduce productivity. Let’s give this some perspective.

Say you have 10 employees, and all perform at only 90% productivity because they don’t feel valued. You might think, “Hey! 90% is pretty good!” But if everyone was willing to go the extra mile and work that extra 10%, it’s the equivalent of adding an 11th team member to reduce the workload.

Managers who are willing to go the extra mile for their team can take the culture and productivity from ‘pretty good’ to ‘crushing it’ because everyone is ready to bring their best. It’s a great feeling, but it’s also great ROI for the company saves money by not needing to hire another person. So how does a company create managers who inspire their teams to go the extra mile? Training programs, of course, but 45% of HR leaders report that their company struggles to develop influential leaders.

Ideally, the company has an effective training program for all team members and a program for managers that is sustainable, scaleable, and measurable without adding to HR’s workload.

You can learn more about the GiANT programs I recommend HERE or schedule a call.

The Cure

If you have quiet quitters on your team or want to prevent them, by now, the cure is apparent; leadership. There’s a lot to that one word, though, more than we can talk about here, so let’s discuss some practical things you can implement today.

Leadership is based on a variation of the marketing principles of know, like, and trust. In this case, you want your employees to buy in for you as their manager. So let’s start with know.

Your employees need to know you care about them professionally and personally. This doesn’t mean you have to go to their kids’ soccer games, but you should know their immediate family members’ names at least. It would be best if you remembered things like their favorite hobbies, activities, and their personal and professional goals. When you bring doughnuts in, remember who’s on a diet or sensitive to gluten and adjust as needed.

The next phase is like, or respect. You shouldn’t pretend to like someone just so they’ll work harder for you, but you should respect their skills and what they contribute to the team. This is subtle since it can be hard to show respect to someone you don’t like or who doesn’t show you respect if the relationship is broken. No matter the situation, make sure you find ways to show appreciation for everyone on your team and acknowledge the work they do. This could be as simple as giving kudos during a meeting that they caught an error, stayed late, or helped a fellow employee with something.

Finally, we come to the trust factor. Your employees should see you as an expert in your work. You don’t need to know everything to be an expert, either. Your team should feel comfortable coming to you when they have questions or problems because they trust you to help them solve it, even if you don’t know the solution off the top of your head. Some people call this an open-door policy, but I’d challenge you to take it a step further. Actively go to your employee’s station and check in regularly on a personal and professional level.

The Conclusion

Too often, quiet-quitting is blamed on ‘lazy’ employees when it’s really just a symptom of unhealthy company culture. There will always be people who show up, do their job, and nothing more, so the goal is to make that a tiny percentage of employees. By training managers to foster a more positive and collaborative workplace, you’ll find most of your employees willing to go the extra mile for you and the company.

When you create a culture that engages and values employees, the turnover rates are drastically reduced, and better productivity all around because people don’t dread going to work anymore.

Want clarity on the impact of leadership in your company? Schedule a 45-minute call where we can dig into the problems, what they cost the company, and how you can shift your entire culture to get 100% or more out of everyone on your team.