How to lift employee motivation in times of quiet quitting

Quiet quitting is the latest philosophy to hit the corporate world. But what does it mean and how can you help your staff avoid it?

Contrary to popular belief, “quiet quitting” does not involve employees resigning. Instead, the philosophy refers to an employee that precisely meets their job requirements within their working hours, without going above and beyond. For an employer, this term refers to disengaged employees who aren’t invested in the company’s success, while for employees, it simply means “acting your wage.”

So what’s all the fuss? After The Great Resignation, companies are doing everything to try and keep their employees happy. Our blog post explores benefits you can introduce into your organisation that will help avoid quiet quitting among your employees.

What is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting in an office setting can look like: not doing anything more than the job description requires, logging off at 5 pm, not seeking new tasks and going to mandatory meetings only. Sound familiar? Well, that’s because 50% of the US workforce is part of the quiet quitting trend according to Gallup.

Some believe that quiet quitting highlights how certain companies exploit their employees. This is usually shown by a manager’s expectation of overperformance of tasks, without correlating compensation. When this work expectation is not met, employees can be deemed “lazy”.

Potentially, quiet quitting is due to the ongoing burnout employees are feeling. After The Great Resignation, many job positions were left open with no suitable replacements. Employees have had to take on extra workloads to meet demands — leading them to feel tired and undervalued in their jobs.

For some, quiet quitting is a form of rebellion against a toxic workplace; for others, it’s their everyday work routine to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

How can you stop employees from quiet quitting?

Instead of viewing quiet quitting as a trend that’s harming the workplace, consider it an opportunity to reflect on and improve workplace culture. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have realised how important a healthy work-life balance is. Employers should use this opportunity to showcase it.

Quiet quitting often happens because employees feel undervalued or burnt out from their roles. The best way to avoid your employees feeling this way is with an open discussion to discover how the business can assist in alleviating stress.

From hiring more staff members to allowing more annual leave to be taken — there are numerous ways to help your employees feel better in their workspace, as listed below.

10 employee benefits that may decrease quiet quitting

To decrease quiet quitting amongst your employees, here are a few suggestions that your business could incorporate.

1. Fully remote working models, or hybrid office days where the employee can choose their days in the office. At Huble, we’re fully remote; however, if employees feel they work best in the office, there will always be a space for them.

2. Flexible working hours. The pandemic has taught us that most digital businesses can be done anywhere, at any time. Flexible working hours give employees time with their families, to exercise and maintain their overall health, and to run errands.

3. Health and dental care benefits. After the pandemic, people have realised just how important physical and mental healthcare is. To show employees that you care about their well-being, your company should offer to make contributions to the medical aid and health insurance of your employees.

4. Pension contributions. Monetary donations show your employees that you are interested in their long-term financial security and well-being.

5. Additional or unlimited annual leave. If your company believes in a healthy work-life balance then annual leave should be valued and used by employees without any stigma. Big brands including Netflix, LinkedIn, and Kickstarter all believe in unlimited annual leave, so why not join them?

6. Four-day work weeks. Part of being burnt out is not having enough time to recover from the stress of the work week. Multiple businesses across the world have tested out the shortened work week and uncovered the success that comes with it. Microsoft had a 40% boost in productivity after trailing the 4-day work week, according to Forbes. Not only can a shorter week benefit your organisation's productivity, but also allow your employees to decompress after stressful work weeks.

7. A fair, liveable wage. To stop your employees from losing sleep over money worries, try to ensure they are all paid a salary that can support them. As an example, an employee could be drowning in debt, struggling to pay their mortgage or have health concerns that are using up any spare funds, without you knowing. An employee's salary should also be adjusted to match inflation.

8. Attainable career goals and paths for your employees to work towards. Management should be open with employees about their career progression and expectations. After all, no one wants to be stuck at a job where they’ve hit their peak.

9. Transparency and clear communication between employers and employees. Your workers should have open communication with leaders without fear of being reprimanded. Open communication allows for trust to build within your team.

10. Tools that help your employees to thrive. There’s nothing worse than tools that work against you. A CRM, for example, can help your team run more efficiently. From scheduling meetings and template emails, your employees can work on what really matters during their working hours.

How can a CRM assist your employees?

When it comes to quiet quitting, employees can feel less motivated to do simple tasks due to the overwhelming feeling of being burnt out and overworked. So, how can a CRM help your team?

Use a consistent training program where employees can constantly upskill. Most employees can feel understimulated or bored if they’re not learning anything new. Some CRMs, like HubSpot, offer short courses to those that use their platform.
Decrease administrative tasks. Often people feel overwhelmed by the continuous administrative tasks. From email templates to setting up meetings and automated reports, CRM can decrease the amount of time needed to complete each task — allowing your employees to focus on what matters.
Better customer retention and relationships for client-facing employees. CRM can help you hold onto customers for longer and build better relationships. Not only will this boost your sales team's confidence but it also establishes relationships during a time of remote working.

Select a CRM partner who sees beyond quiet quitting

Quiet quitting happens when your employees feel undervalued at work. By adding more benefits to give your employees chances to grow and thrive in their current workplace, they will be less likely to leave or face burnout.

At Huble, we’ll help you configure a CRM system through our HubSpot CRM onboarding process that’s personalised for your needs. You’ll easily be able to onboard current team members, add new ones, and simplify the administrative tasks your employees face day-to-day.

Contact one of our consultants today to see how we can help you make quiet quitting redundant in your organisation, by helping your employees.