Constant Complaining and Missing Deadlines Are Among Top Behaviors of Quiet Quitters

The world of employment has seen various trends and phenomena over the last three years. One of these trends is quiet quitting, which significantly affects an organization. How does this trend affect the workplace, and what are organizations doing to address this phenomenon? Paychex recently conducted a study to find the answers.

The last three years have brought new trends and phenomena to the employment landscape, such as the Great Resignation, quiet firing, and quiet quitting. The trend of quiet quitting, specifically, has been spreading across organizations in recent times. According to 78% of respondents of CFO.com and Oracle NetSuite’s recent studyOpens a new window , quiet quitting is a problem. While this may occur for several reasons, it affects both the employee and the organization.Â

So, how does this trend affect the workplace? And what are organizations doing to prevent employees from quiet quitting? Paychex recently conducted a study to find out. The following are a few key takeaways.

Close to Two-Thirds of Employees Consider Themselves Quiet Quitters

The term â€œquiet quittingâ€ varies in its definition for various employees. For example, 40% define it as taking on work tasks only within their job description, and 24% view it as setting firm boundaries at work. About 23% also describe it as a way of being fired instead of outright quitting.Â

Based on these perspectives, about 64% of respondents consider themselves quiet quitters. Further, remote workers were more likely (81%) to do so, followed by hybrid workers (61%). While 27% do not believe to be one, 9% are unsure.Â

Several factors influence quiet quitters’ work ethic. For example, 57% said their manager affected their work ethic (vs. 42% of other employees). Similarly, 55% cited mental health, and 51% cited salary as a reason. Other reasons were colleagues, personal life, work responsibilities, and workplace conditions.

Factors most influencing employees’ work ethic

Source: 2022 Paychex SurveyOpens a new window

Whatever the reason for demotivation, their workplace philosophies have affected their job security. About 69% of quiet quitters received a warning at work over the last year compared to 16% of other employees. About 74% of quiet quitters were also fired in the previous year compared to 16% of other employees.

See more: Worried About Quiet Quitting?: It’s Time to Reevaluate Your Work Management Tools

Quiet Quitters Display Few Red Flags

Quiet quitting can heavily burden HR departments. So, what do HR professionals think, and how are they handling the phenomenon? According to 42% o HR professionals, quiet quitting is a big issue in their workplace.Â

HR professionals have also identified a few red flags that help them determine the behaviors of quiet quitters. For example, the biggest red flag is constant complaining, according to 44% of HR professionals. This is followed by an unwillingness to do extra work (41%), missing deadlines regularly (40%) and a non-willingness to work extra hours. A few other red flags are an unwillingness to learn new material (36%), self-isolation (35%), and frequent day-off requests (28%).

Quiet quitters impact not only their work but also the cultural environment of their workplace. HR professionals say the phenomenon contributes to a culture that lacks motivation and communication (40%), rejects company standards (39%), and has almost no enthusiasm (37%). It also increases drama, gossip, and blame.

How quiet quitting affects the cultural environment of the workplace

Source: 2022 Paychex SurveyOpens a new window

HR Teams Have Developed Strategies To Address Quiet Quitting

With quiet quitting affecting the organization’s work culture, many HR departments have developed strategies to address the phenomenon. While some of these strategies are being implemented during an interview process to weed out unmotivated candidates, a few are implemented to address employees lacking motivation.

When it comes to interviews, some of the questions recruiters ask candidates include, â€œwhat is something you love about your current or previous role,â€ â€œwhat excites you about working for our companyâ€ and â€œwhat are some characteristics of your favorite bossâ€? Some of these questions are designed to understand the level of interest the candidate has in their work and whether they are interested in the actual work or just filling their 9-to-5. A few other questions are designed to reveal their relationship with their current/former employer.

During interviews, HR professionals’ favorite questions for weeding out unmotivated candidates

Source: 2022 Paychex SurveyOpens a new window

When it comes to dealing with unmotivated employees, some of the strategies HR departments are implementing include changing the employee’s responsibilities or position (60%), offering financial incentives (57%), having one-on-ones and identifying solutions (52%), and offering new learning opportunities (51%). A few are also implementing strategies, such as assigning a mentor (35%) and changing work logistics (21%).

See more: The Surprising Ways Gamification Can Engage Employees

How Organizations Can Overcome Quiet Quitting

Quiet quitting undoubtedly affects the overall work culture and the organization. Quiet quitters’ basic philosophy seems to be disrupting the culture and productivity of many organizations. However, companies should also understand the reasons for quiet quitting. As Odessa Jenkins, president, Emtrain, says, â€œQuiet quitting is a symptom and not a diagnosis of Toxic Culture.â€

Quiet quitting may also be seen as an attempt to achieve work-life balance, which significantly went for a toss during the pandemic and still persists for many employees today.Â

To address quiet quitting, employees need to feel the presence of a substantial purpose or reward to stay motivated. For a few quiet quitters, that purpose or reward may be found when the employer takes better care of their benefits and mental health, makes the employee feel valued and heard, or makes work more exciting. A few may be motivated through flexible work schedules. For a few others, better pay may be the reward. The organization may also want to look into its work culture to identify factors contributing to quiet quitting.

Identifying the reasons for employee disengagement and implementing the necessary changes can address the troublesome phenomenon of quiet quitting while bringing better productivity and positivity to the workplace.

What steps have you taken to address quiet quitting in your organization? Share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .

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