Working Remotely or Not, Here Are Several Checkpoints to Combat Quiet Quitting
As the global economy slowly recovers from the pandemic after almost two years of stagnation (even declining for some) growth, the world is surprised by yet another crisis. While most countries are still suffering from labor shortage after the great resignation trend took over the world not long ago, the global workforce crisis doesn’t seem to come to its end. The great resignation voicing out the long due stress and exhaustion of burnt out employees who have kept the economy going during the pandemic. Many workers now demand higher benefits and flexibility in jobs more than ever. Thus, remote working as one of the most favorable solutions to tackle this issue, has become more and more welcomed by managers and employers
Read more on: The Not-So Great Resignation: Let’s Make Working Great Again!
Yet the current trend of quiet quitting imposed a rather serious question to the hiring managers and employers. Despite the statistics found over 50% of the workers are currently quiet quitting, remote workers report higher rates of quiet quitting. Does remote working practice failing businesses?
To fully understand the definition and context of quiet quitting, to put it planly, it can be translated as a form of employee disengagement. This phenomena is the result of various different reasons such as unfair pay, extremely overloaded workload, poor workplace boundaries, and more. In plain words, quiet quitting encourages employees to do their bare minimum to complete their work, and resist going above and beyond. Popularized by one of the currently booming social media platforms, TikTok, quiet quitting like it’s name, is a rather less aggressive movement against bad workplaces and bosses that don’t value their employees time and effort fairly. Still, the negative impact of quiet quitting to organizations cannot be underestimated.
It is safe to say that quiet quitting is a product from bad team management and working culture that results in dissatisfied and disengaged employees. If this situation persists in the long run, employees eventually will be more reluctant to deliver their best work and opt for doing the bare minimum for the same pay.
If you as employers and managers are confident that running off employees is not one of the goals for the team that you manage, then the working style, (be it remote, onsite, or hybring working) is less likely to be the issue. Here are several checkpoints for you as a manager to ensure you manage your remote team properly to not only retain, but also unleash their full potential.
Document everything
Although remote working is known to shift the communication style in a workspace from verbal to written communication, communication is still important and should be done as often regardless. Most importantly, be sure to document everything precisely and concisely. When communication style is shifting from verbal to mostly written, having things documented properly can come in handy. It speeds up the efficiency within your team and avoids any potential miscommunication and frustration.
Delegate properly and set a boundary
It’s very easy to get overworked when working remotely. Constantly check on your employees on their workload and be sure to provide the proper support they might need to avoid your employees prematurely burning out. Furthermore, set a strict boundary when working remotely as it is easier to work overtime now than before. Companies should build a culture where overtime is not encouraged and leaders need to become role models for the employees to follow.
Always check in on your team
When you are managing a team, oftentimes you are more responsible in managing their wellbeing as individuals rather than managing the way they perform their work. Many managers failed to check in on their employees’ mental and emotional well being. Especially in a remote working setting. Do not just ask how they are doing, pay attention to their outcome. Have a meaningful conversation with your employee at least once a week. That way you can build a better relationship with your employees and identify any hidden signs that you have overlooked.
Establish employee recognition program
Quiet quitters tend to feel under-appreciated. When the work goes unnoticed and un-praised, employees feel they could stop without leadership catching wise or caring, and they are often correct. Employee recognition strategies are a great tool to battle this mindset. By acknowledging and rewarding employees for standout work, you show your staff that what they contribute matters to you and the organization. In addition, employees who receive visibility and acknowledgment feel they belong. As a result, they are less likely to fade into the background.
The combat against “quiet quitting” is a long term war and communication is the weapon to fight back. As Dr. Natalie Baumgartner – Workplace psychologist pointed out: Quiet quitting is a cry for help from employees. Leaders and managers need to communicate with their employees, discover the problems, and plan actions to provide the aid that their employees need. Employees should receive the right tools to perform their work and the constructive feedback to motivate them to work.
The opportunity of working remotely should not be abused with the quiet quitting movement. While finger pointing on who’s on the wrong in this negative movement should not be the first priority in breaking this cycle, it is important for both employers and employees to communicate the needs and expectation clearly. At the same time, constantly checking on each other to ensure that resources and supports are delegated properly. The benefits of remote working instead that can support employers and employees to achieve the working life balance without jeopardizing productivity or profitability.
In our next article, we will be discussing how overseas hiring can minimize the risk of quiet quitting. Connect with our experts to start your journey in building a global team.
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