The latest headache for most workplaces post-Covid-19 – Business Daily
Are you experiencing the impact and manifestation of the “quiet quitting of jobs?” While employees chose to exit organisations that characterised the great resignation [at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic], in quiet quitting,an individual does the minimum work necessary to keep their job.
Quiet quitting describes a rebellion against the hustle culture of going above and beyond what a job requires. This may be attributed to post Covid-19 pandemic impact that made some people rethink their career choices and what they do at the workplace. Therefore, the pandemic has brought quiet quitting into the spotlight as it flipped work culture upside down.
The buzzword “quiet quitters” is becoming common in various workplaces and has been making waves on social media platforms such as TikTok and is now gaining traction in professional forums as a great concern.
Some signs of quiet quitting are taking too long to respond to messages, not attending meetings, arriving late or leaving early, reduction in productivity, more sick offs, less contribution to team projects, not participating in planning or meetings, lack of passion or enthusiasm, and constant excuses on non-availability or over engaged.
But is it a good or bad idea? While the proponents and champions, who are majorly generation Z, claim they are simply doing their job only during contract hours, because taking on extra work is how you get burned out, experts say it is bound to backfire on the employee in the long run.
It is important to rethink workplace constructs. Several mechanisms can be put in place to mitigate this, including checking on and improving the relationships between employees and their direct reports, calibrating the hiring process, redefining the organisation’s culture, and participating in critical decisions among others.
The cost of quiet quitting is low productivity, low profitability, missed deadlines, and more customer complaints, turnover cost, low rate of innovation, demotivated teams, among others.
In conclusion, this is simple: the more engaged your employees are, the better your business functions. Inversely, disengaged employees in the amplification of quiet quitting have damaging effects on business performance.
Dr JO Onyango is a senior lecturer and associate dean of Research and Innovation and Strathmore University
