There’s a new trend called ‘quiet quitting’ that goes like this:

Workers are no longer quitting their jobs. They’re just not doing their jobs anymore.

At least, that’s what the headlines want us to believe.

But is it true?

What is “quiet quitting”, why is it happening, and if you’re in a leadership role, what can you do about it?

A Simple Explanation

‘Quiet quitting’ is a TikTok and social media trend.

The name, however, is misleading. Workers aren’t actually quitting (well, not these workers – although plenty of others are). Instead, they’re restricting the amount of work they’re doing for the organization.

But here’s the big misunderstanding. Workers aren’t suddenly not working at all. They’re just not working beyond the hours and responsibilities of their contract.

In other words, they’re fulfilling their role and filling out their time card to the letter. No more unpaid overtime. No more paying a ‘passion tax’ (Adam Grant). No more working beyond the actual job description.

The fact that employers and the media are vilifying this trend tells you everything you need to know about the toxic western work culture and its unreasonable expectations.

But, why now? Is it the pandemic’s fault?

The Pandemic

Yes and no.

Today’s workers are certainly not the first to ever get so completely fed up with unreasonable working conditions that they rebel. But two things are different:

First, we are the first generation to have the powerful tool of social media at our disposal. Thus like so many things we are discovering a problem that has always existed, rather than seeing something completely new.

Second, we just went through a global collective trauma. Whereas in years and decades past many workers could handle the additional stress and responsibility, even if it wasn’t enjoyable or healthy, today’s workers cannot.

Our bodies and minds have already been pushed to the limit. There’s nowhere left to go. And that means something has to give.

For many people, the easiest thing to give up is the excess work beyond the defined terms of their contract.

So we’re left with a workforce that is merely fulfilling their job responsibilities and hours. And yet, everything is crumbling.

The word ‘merely’ is the key.

Why does it seem like our system is designed to fail?

Built for Robots, Run by Humans

A system that fails when everyone is doing exactly what they were hired to do shouldn’t be crumbling. It should be thriving.

But that’s not how our system is built. Our entire economy is built on wringing the absolute maximum productivity from each individual worker.

Except, workers aren’t robots. They aren’t machines. They’re people.

And people need more than a paycheck to sustain themselves at work all day. They need to be valued for their contributions.

If you’re in a leadership role, here are 3 ways to start valuing your people.

1. Get Genuinely Curious

There are so many reasons workers are burning out and ‘quiet quitting.’ It’s not one thing across all companies and industries.

If you want to address the root cause of the problem in your specific organization, and not merely put a generic band aid on it, ask your people what’s going on.

Show up with genuine curiosity and a desire to make things better. Empathize with your workers not by pretending to know what they’re going through, but by admitting that you don’t.

The only way to understand someone else’s thoughts, feelings, and desires is to stop guessing, and to start asking.

And when you ask them questions, just listen. Don’t offer your perspective. Don’t give your opinion. Don’t tell them how to fix it themselves. Just listen, and reflect back to them what you’re hearing.

It’s not enough to understand people. They need to feel understood.

2. Set Reasonable Expectations

Put all the responsibilities you expect of someone right into the job description.

Then ask yourself, is it actually possible for one person to accomplish all these tasks within the hourly confines of the role?

And more importantly, is it sustainable? Just because it’s possible to work at maximum productivity and efficiency once in a while doesn’t mean it can be done ad infinitum.

Basically, make sure your job description reflects the capabilities of the human you’re hiring, not a robot.

3. Pay Workers Appropriately

Sure, sure. Money is tight. The economy is hurting.

But if you can pay one worker 1.5 times their current salary for taking on the responsibilities they used to do outside of their contract, it’s still going to save you from hiring a second person to get those things done.

Workers want to be valued for their contributions, and one of the ways we demonstrate value in the workplace is with cold hard cash.

The Right Question

You get the answer to the question you ask. And I believe that quiet quitting is happening because it’s the right answer to the question companies are asking.

They’re asking, “How do we get our people to go above and beyond for the company?”

Instead, they should be asking, “How do we go above and beyond for our people?”

When you go above and beyond for your people they will feel heard, understood, and valued at your organization. You don’t want a workforce who is merely doing their job, engaged in a silent war with the leadership.

Your people aren’t lazy. They’re working their butts off!

But they’re tired of not being heard, understood, and most importantly, valued for their contributions.

Still, building a culture of connection is no easy task. I work with organizations as small as 6 and as large as 100,000 on installing and nurturing a system for active listening that I call E.A.R.S.

It stands for Eye contact, Avoid distraction, Reflection, Summarize.

This simple acronym helps leaders and workers consistently have meaningful connections, by turning transactions into interactions.

It’s available as a top-level keynote, a skills-transfer workshop, or a deep dive consulting package.

How to stop quiet quitting in its tracks

Here’s how to install a culture of connection in your organization:

1. Grab a copy of my book Three New People, which outlines E.A.R.S. in detail.
2. Schedule a discovery call with me to do a needs assessment on your organization’s culture (click here)
3. Create a culture of connection to attract and retain top talent

Too many organizations are accidentally encouraging their best and brightest to burn out, forcing constant costly turnovers and an apathetic, unengaged workforce. Quiet quitting is costing you money and morale. And pretty soon, there’s no turning back.

My clients learn a simple, repeatable system that builds trust, nurtures empathy, and creates true connection day in and day out.

Start with a copy of Three New People and schedule a discovery call when you’re ready.