Quiet Quitting - The Talent Challenge

“Quiet quitting” is defined as the practice of reducing the amount of effort devoted to a job such as by stopping the completion of any tasks not explicitly stated in the job description. The term implies that this "quitting" is done in secret or without notification.

A disconnected workplace is one of the drivers of the “quiet quitting” trend and disengaged employees are quick to make a change if the culture of a company doesn’t meet with their ambitions. Often they seek a more challenging role, an opportunity to progress within the company, better compensation as well as balanced work-life.

According to the recent Net Positive Employee Barometer Survey, almost half of UK workers are willing to quit their jobs if the company that they work for doesn't support their values. Younger Gen Z and millennial employees are now "consciously quitting", with more than 50% stating that they would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a company that shares their values around equality and the environment.

We conducted a survey to understand the extent of the "quiet quitting" known to the market and the motivational drivers for our respondents to feel engaged and productive in their work. Almost 60% of respondents had heard of "quiet quitting". Interestingly over 40% of our respondents work 100% remotely with a third working 1 or 2 days a week remotely. Just 17% work 100% at the workplace.

Hybrid working has led to poor workplace communication which has in turn, led to disengagement. Employees have been found to perform better and complete tasks more accurately when working around peers. 1

Coaching and mentoring and increased compensation are the most significant drivers for improved engagement at work. Encouragingly, almost two thirds of respondents have received recognition and praise for their work with a further 50% stating that they know what is expected of them and 50% believing that the culture in the company supports their objectives. However a quarter say that sometimes they don't feel they have an opportunity to learn and develop. 42% of our respondents would be incentivised to change job if there were better opportunities for progression and career development. For a third, improved salary, compensation and retirement benefits would motivate them to consider a move to another role or organisation.

The market remains weighted in favour of the employee so it is important that employers keep their talent engaged and motivated.

1 https://www.jll.co.uk/en/trends-and-insights/workplace/5-things-neuroscience-reveals-about-how-we-work