Quiet Constraint: The Next Challenge Facing Organizations?

This year, many companies solidified their working model for the foreseeable future. This highlights the critical role of technology in how we work. Simultaneously, businesses are increasingly concerned about engaging employees. Where are the opportunities to help companies unlock next-level success in this regard? Check out the key takeaways from a recent Kahoot! study.

The year 2022 has been important in the world of work. Many companies solidified their remote or hybrid work models for the long term. This has cemented technology’s critical role in how we work and calls for a reassessment of how teams collaborate and communicate. Simultaneously, there is an increasing concern about â€œquiet quittingOpens a new window â€ and chronic employee disengagement.Â

But how worried should business leaders be? And where are the opportunities to help companies and employees unlock next-level success? To learn more about these challenges and opportunities, Kahoot! And Researchscape conducted a study. The study threw light on how employees from different generations and work models are experiencing the workplace and how organizations can support employees to be their best selves and do their best work.

The following are a few key takeaways.

See more: Aligning Communications Strategy and Digital Workplace Experience To Retain Employees

Employees Are Getting Bored of Virtual Meetings

Most employees today appreciate the remote and hybrid work model due to its flexibility; some are even willing to take a small pay cut to have flexibility. According to bequom, 65% of employees were willing to take a small pay cut to work remotely. The study found that hybrid workers are the most engaged at work, with 81% very or extremely interested in their work. This is in contrast to 71% of remote workers and 70% of in-office employees.

However, the study also found that many companies haven’t yet optimized digital experiences like virtual meetings or presentations to match the level of engagement achieved in person. This has led to boredom for many employees. About 40% of employees said virtual meetings drain their energy. About 35% of respondents said they mentally switched off from online training, while 32% switched off from virtual presentations. About 31% leave virtual team meetings.

Work situations where employees are present but mentally disengaged

Source: Kahoot! Workplace Culture ReportOpens a new window

This indicates that while organizations now have experience working remotely or hybrid, they haven’t yet implemented effective strategies and solutions to make virtual experiences truly engaging.

So, what do employees do when they zone out of the meetings? Many of them are engaging in other activities to pass the time. About 45% read and reply to emails, and 18% work on their side hustle. About 11% of younger employees even jump into other meetings at the same time. About 23% of women also doodle, while 21% of men exercise. About 20% take a nap.

An Engaging Workplace Is a Must

Since companies went remote, employee experience and engagement have been hot topics of discussion. Lack of engagement has also contributed, in part, to trends like the Great Resignation. Employers have been increasingly focusing on attracting and retaining quality talent, while employees are re-evaluating what is important to them when applying for a job.Â

While competitive pay is an important factor, 47% of respondents say they would let go of a portion of their salary to be more engaged at work. Hybrid workers, who are found to be the most engaged, also put the highest value on engagement. About 35% of hybrid employees would give up over 10% of their wages for a more collaborative and engaging workplace compared to 18% in-person and 21% remote employees.

Interestingly, Gen Z workers, too, are willing to give up a portion of their salaries despite being in the early part of their work lives and drawing lower salaries. About 68% are willing to give up a percentage of their salaries for a more engaging workplace. This is compared to 32% of Baby Boomers, 41% of Gen X, and 56% of Millennials.

These figures make it critical for organizations to recognize engagement as a high priority for employees and build it in every aspect of work.

Quiet Constraint â€” An Emerging Phenomenon on the Block

There has been a lot of buzz about quiet quitting of late. However, a new phenomenon called â€œquiet constraintâ€ seems to emerge in workplaces. About 58% of employees say they have valuable knowledge that could benefit their colleagues in improving their performance but haven’t shared it.

On the other hand, with the Great Resignation and rapid technological advances, employers have recognized the need for upskilling and reskilling employees, making it a top priority. Companies are looking for more specialized knowledge and skills to meet the demands of the fast-changing business landscape. Simultaneously, employees understand that continuous learning is necessary to adapt to the future of work and grow in their careers.

While this sounds daunting for both, the study found that many corporate teams may be holding critical knowledge that they haven’t yet even begun to tap into. The study also found that while all generations of employees have untapped knowledge, this is prominent among Gen Z employees (77%). Further, more men (63%) hold information at work than women (57%).

So, why haven’t workers shared this knowledge with their co-workers? About 26% of workers said they were never asked, and 23% said they weren’t provided with a channel or means to do so. About 26% felt like their talent and self-expression were stifled at work. However, 77% say they would highly value engaging ways to share their knowledge.

This means more employees are willing to share their knowledge if given the opportunity, support, and resources.

See more: Digital Employee Experience: Are You Committing This Common Mistake?

Gen Z Employees Are Open to New Engagement Approaches

Gen Z employees have already entered the workplace, and their number will only increase. The study found that this generation of employees is the most likely to feel bored and also most often disengaged during online training or presentations. The top reasons these employees check out during online meetings are the meetings are too long (51%), the content is uninteresting (42%), there is no active participation from their side (31%), and the employees don’t feel a connection to anyone in virtual meetings (29%).

The first step for employers is to understand these challenges. From there, they can create engagement strategies that include a multi-pronged approach to respond to employees with different preferences and needs. Ultimately, across generations and work models, there is a resounding call for new approaches that are innovative, interactive, and dynamic.

For Gen Z workers, the top three things that would boost their engagement were friendly competition (59%), brainstorming (51%), and more rich media (38%). For the older generations, brainstorming with colleagues is a clear way to boost engagement, with 44% choosing this option. This was also the top pick for hybrid workers (50%).

Further, 78% are more engaged visually than auditorily, indicating that dynamic visuals are a key ingredient for keeping workers engaged.

Conclusion

It is clear that while organizations are doing much concerning employee engagement in general, there is still much to be done regarding online meetings, training, and presentations. And it is the youngest generation of the workforce (Gen Z) that is feeling the most disengaged and switching off. Fortunately, employees across all generations and work models have indicated the possible approaches to improve engagement. By making online meetings more interactive and participative and using rich media, organizations can improve employees’ digital experience and engagement to a greater extent.

What steps have you taken to improve employee engagement concerning online meetings? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .

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