"Quiet Quitting" - The Great Shift in Employee Mindset
What people want from the companies they work for has dramatically changed. While “Quiet Quitting (QQ)” is the new “buzzword,” the QQ trend is more about employers not keeping pace with the needs, wants, and, most importantly, the values of their employees.
The Shocking Statistics on “Quiet Quitting”
According to a recent Gallup survey:
Since 2019, the number of young workers* who feel that someone encourages their development at work has dropped 12 points.
Less than four in ten young workers say they know what’s expected of them at work.
18% of US employees are “actively disengaged” at work — the highest count since 2013.
Over 50% are “not engaged” — the quiet quitters.
Google searches for “how to quit a job” are higher than ever.
* Remote and hybrid workers under 35 are driving the trend.
The “Why” Behind the Data is Clear
Unless you have lived under a rock, life today has drastically changed, and so have the expectations from employees. Too many organizations are blind to what their employees value, and until that changes, it’s fair to assume the disengagement trends will continue.
The main changes in employee mindset include:
If you want more from your employees, you need to listen harder!
When was the last time you asked your employees or team:
What do they value?
What’s important to them?
What is their biggest motivator?
More than ever after the Pandemic, people, in general, are all chasing the moment when things seemingly fall into place, when our thoughts, choices, and direction honor our core values. Because with it comes a sense of peace and power that propels you to be your best possible self in every way. When you lead a value-driven lifestyle, you feel good about what you do.
Leading a Value-Driven Life is the Solution
“Values” can be an abstract concept, but in simplistic terms, your values are the things that feed and nourish you. They are the principles and ideals that guide your behavior. Values are as unique as a fingerprint, and not knowing your team is like using a flashlight with dead batteries: it won’t work. When you know your core values, your actions emerge from an energized source, are easier, go further and accomplish more.
Strong managers create an environment for their team where good things can happen for them by their words and actions. They produce an atmosphere that encourages the best from people, drives high performance and high morale, and where people are successful, and team spirit is strong. These managers are the ones that listen to the needs of their support system and know they have changed and are adapting the workplace for them.
Today many organizations face devastating workplace challenges, such as employee burnout, diminished productivity, high turnover, quiet quitting, and an unhappy work environment.
Simultaneously the world is experiencing a dwindling state of our emotional well-being, which is unsurprising considering the many challenges and misfortunes the world has recently suffered. A values-first corporate architecture is not rocket science. People want to live productive and happy lives so they can do what they love and love what they do.