The impact quiet quitters have on your organisation: how to reverse it, reengage and achieve results
In the 2023 global workplace study*, a staggering 72% of employees have been labeled as ‘quiet quitters.’ This alarming revelation presents HR and business Leaders with a challenge, as it leads to diminished productivity and reduced engagement amongst their people. Consequently, they are left questioning how to effectively reverse this trend, reengage their people, and fully harness the positive impact it can have on overall business performance.
What is quiet quitting?
Despite the recently coined phrase, ‘quiet quitting’ is not a new concept. However, with it being the subject of trending and viral videos over social media, it is quickly becoming difficult for HR and business Leaders to avoid the hard-hitting issue.
Quiet quitting involves employees avoiding going ‘above and beyond’ in the workplace, sometimes resorting to the bare minimum that is required within their job descriptions and contracted working hours.
What’s the impact?
18% of their annual salary
Recent statistics tell us that ‘people who are not engaged cost their company the equivalent of 18% of their annual salary’.
72% are not engaged
In perspective, if you employ 100 people in line with the UK average salary of £33,000* and of those 100 employees, 72% are not engaged.
Costing you £427,680
This could cost your business £427,680 per year in lost productivity alone. When you consider the employer’s minimum NIC and pension contributions, this figure could increase to £481,385.
This disengagement and removal of goodwill may mean people who have ‘quietly quit’ are less enthusiastic about their roles or employers, therefore less likely to go the extra mile to help other colleagues or your clients and are less productive. This in turn could affect your brand’s reputation, cause higher absence levels, higher employee turnover and lower client satisfaction. These factors could contribute to the associated costs of disengagement, impacting on your company turnover.
How to reverse quiet quitting – where do you start?
Talk to your people – It might be the most obvious place to start but it really helps to talk to your people to understand the root cause of ‘quiet quitting’. Is there an underlying concern which is shared by employee groups? Do your people not feel comfortable raising them with their manager?
Review your employee engagement action plan – Engagement levels fluctuate, and you need to give employees regular opportunities to provide feedback to ensure that your understanding of employee engagement levels remains relevant. If your managers have regular 1-1 meetings with their direct reports, they should gain an understanding of engagement levels across their team, along with providing a platform and opportunity for your employees to share any concerns. Additionally, you could consider measuring your employee Net Promoter Score, which is a quick way to gain a numerical representation of engagement which can be tracked over time, and/or consider gaining more in-depth feedback from your people via an anonymous survey.
Champion employee wellbeing – a massive 70%* of team engagement is attributable to the manager, and your people will look to line managers, HR and their business leaders to set an example for your company.
Invest in management training and your EVP (Employer Value Proposition) – Managers need to demonstrate that they prioritise wellbeing to foster an environment in which your people can thrive. Therefore, companies can see incredible benefits from investing directly into the training and development of their people managers to enhance their leadership skills. Being able to demonstrate a focus on these areas can also effectively contribute to your company culture, in turn having a positive impact on your overall EVP and being considered an employer of choice.
Talent management, career frameworks and personal development – The 2019 Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn states that 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. Reviewing your company structure can help identify progression opportunities and talent gaps, which can then influence how you plan succession to deliver short and long-term business strategy.
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- Strategically partner with you to get to know your organisation and your people, ensuring the work delivered is tailored effectively to obtain results
- Benefit from broad industry experience and up to date knowledge of HR trends
- Dedicated People Partners that are assigned to the task, freeing up your time to focus on your business strategy
- Offer you a new, objective and impartial viewpoint on people strategy, demonstrating to your people you are willing to take on board unbiased advice
- Changes can be made and implemented quicker
We can offer bespoke projects to cover all the above recommendations, from 360 reviews to strategic projects such as succession planning. Contact us today.
* Source: Gallup