It didn’t take long for stressed-out employees across the country to identify with the newly discovered concept of quiet quitting—a buzzworthy work trend that actually has deep roots in work culture.
When employees are physically and emotionally exhausted from back-to-back meetings, grueling project deadlines, and hazy career growth, working less becomes an essential form of self care. But quiet quitting is only a momentary band-aid for a growing workplace wellness problem that still leaves six in 10 workers feeling disengaged and overworked.
So what can organizations do to take the burden off employees and turn this pervasive trend around once and for all?
In order to create a work environment where employees find their work to be meaningful rather than quietly indifferent, employers should focus on fostering a culture of quiet thriving—where personal values are aligned with company values and growth is a guarantee. When employees see a clear path for advancement and feel that their organization is invested in their growth, they are more likely to be engaged and committed, with 73% reporting higher job satisfaction.
To understand what employees actually need to thrive in the workplace, let’s examine some of the key factors leading to quiet quitting in the first place.
Quiet quitting is often defined as a state of disengagement and lack of passion exhibited by employees, resulting in far-reaching consequences for both workers and companies.
And while quiet quitting has been a concern for employers long before the name was coined, it points to deeper mental shifts in the workplace—where employee engagement and wellbeing are becoming increasingly interlinked.
Even now, at the tail end of 2023 and heading into 2024, Gallup estimates that quiet quitters make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce, while 68% report feeling unfulfilled at work. Between rising financial stress due to inflation, rising interest rates, and unmitigated debt as well as high levels of employee burnout, many workers feel quiet quitting is the only option they have to set boundaries and protect their work-life balance.
Quiet thriving, on the other hand, provides a hopeful alternative—one in which employees and employers work together to establish healthy work boundaries and achieve mutually beneficial goals. So what can employers do to set their employees up for success so they turn from quiet quitting to quiet thriving?
Rather than labeling frustrated, burned out employees as quiet quitters, it’s more productive to see them as quiet survivors. After all, many of these employees don’t have immediate plans to hand in their resignations, but they are resigned to simply getting by—and the reason is rarely that they’ve given up.
More often than not, a worker in a state of survival is not having their needs met, which means they don’t have the capacity to go above and beyond. But what are their needs?
To empower workers to do their best, employers need to ensure they’re approaching employee wellbeing from a comprehensive, holistic perspective.
Want to learn more about how a holistic workplace wellness program can turn quiet quitters into quiet thrivers?
Reach out to WellRight today.