Quiet Quitting: Or Are We Overlooking a Sense of Belonging?
Quiet quitting has become a hot topic in the business world. It is being defined as employee disengagement, doing minimum work requirements, and no longer going above and beyond to please employers in the workplace. Gallup, conducted a recent survey, and found that in the second quarter of 2022, U.S. employee engagement took a step backwards with the proportion of actively disengaged employees increasing to 18%. The ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is now 1.8 to 1, the lowest in almost a decade.
While the pandemic may have had something to do with the decline, I would offer that feeling valued, understood, and included could also be part of the reason. What if inclusion, belonging, and access is the overlooked solution to slowing down quiet quitting?
Today, let’s take a moment to explore just that. Discuss how Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Access (DEIBA) should be a natural part of the workplace flow and not an afterthought. When employees understand what is expected of them, can bring their authentic selves to work, feel psychologically safe, and feel valued by their employers, they are more likely to not only stay with their company but also produce higher-quality work.
People are talking across the globe about why they chose to quit quietly and the pros and cons of why this is happening. The truth is there is a deeper issue that may differ for each employee. If employers and employees acknowledge there is a root cause and become more transparent about the “why,” we may then see work environments that address the issues fueling the quiet quitting.
Quiet quitting is fairly widespread and can be detrimental to companies, so my ask is simple, work with your employees by providing support of health and well-being, work on effective communication, employee engagement and inclusion, healthy boundaries and expectations, and acknowledge lived experiences.
Starting today, work harder on creating purposeful opportunities, being innovative, collaborative, and fostering a workplace culture that keeps employees engaged, feeling a sense of belonging, and motivated towards not only completing their goals but exceeding them.
