Are you Quiet Quitting or getting Quietly Fired?

Feeling burnt out, over worked and not appreciated? Or maybe you are just outright done because a coworker has made it their mission to get you fired! As the new year begins, we are still in the middle of this new trend of Quiet Quitting but some of us are confused with Quiet Quitting vs Quiet Firing.

So what is the difference?

According to Collins Dictionary, Quiet Quitting is the practice of doing no more work than one is contractually obliged to do, esp in order to spend more time on personal activities. It’s the practice of doing little or no work while being present at one's place of employment. Putting in layman's terms, you are done, you are moving on and just waiting for the new agreement to come, to get the new contract to start your own business or god help you if you are holding on to that winning ticket. Now flip the coin and lets talk about Quiet Firing. This one isn’t new by any means but is not nearly as popular on TikTok. According to Forbes Quiet firing refers to a phenomenon in which employers demoralize unwanted workers to the point that they decide to quit. To me this seems like a fancy way of saying you have a toxic work environment that you need to leave!. Let's look at some examples:

Quiet Quitting:

1. They are cynical about everything

2. They seem disengaged or checked out

3. They don't finish projects on time or with unusually low quality

4. They are overworked

5. They are being micromanaged

Quiet Firing:

1. Shifting key tasks to other employees.

2. Demoting, or changing an employee's job description.

3. Withholding hours on purpose.

4. No training, no coaching, no support

5. Assigning undesirable responsibilities that do not align with an employee's role.

Employee Engagement

Managers must ask themselves, though not directly toxic or hurtful. Are you present for your employees? Are you more distracted by politics than building up your team engagement? Are you consistent with direction or expectations? Employees need the support of their managers in order to maintain a level of consistency and productivity within the workplace. It is easy to start but takes effort to maintain, its called Employee engagement and it is huge!! People want buy in from their workplace, they believe that if they were to quit (all of them) then the place business would be hooped; and in many ways they are right. According to a recent study 73% of people are actively looking to leave their positions for a company with an active engagement plan in place. In 2022 the average cost of turnover is $1500 a person, with Canada ranking 4th highest turnover, that $1500 is going to add up quickly. Lets put it in perspective:

Retail sits at 16.5% turnover, so spread that over the course of 1 year span and an average headcount of 150 per big box retailer you would be losing about 2 people per month which would be equivalent to $36,000 per year in just turnover costs. That is crazy!!

Organizations need to recognize this in making sure that employees are engaged. The cost of engagement activities can remain fairly low, in games, casual Fridays, etc. not everything needs to cost money or a lot of money at that.

How employees feel vs what they need:

Quieting Quitting is becoming more apparent in our every day lives as employees are realizing that work isn't everything. Punching a clock and making a living at a job that doesn't treat you right, your are away from home, and running around after work to grab the kids, the food, the drop offs in extra circulars is ridiculous. Workers have said “enough” to overworking, and decided to set boundaries for their wellbeing. Workers are no longer willing to go above and beyond the scope of their job descriptions if it means sacrificing their mental health, and instead, they’re staying within the limits of their job description. So with this in mind, what is keeping them there?

Recognition, Raises, Support, Training, Growth!

Its not secret that inflation will continue to be the rise indefinitely yet the standard minimum raises for employers is sitting between 3-5%. Some can come to terms with this if the rest are in place; the key things many employers take for granted in an employee not to notice for awhile. But for how long until they do? As an example 37% of employees say that recognition is the most important factor in making an employee feel rewarded and succeed.

Workplace Culture

So if the company is reading this saying to themselves yes we have a strong recognition program, training program, and succession plan for our employees, then you probably wont have to worry about your team Quiet Quitting. However, please be mindful to those you may be quiet firing, if it cannot be solved through progressive discipline then it should be brought to HR's attention.

In today’s employment climate, companies face the challenge of finding the right candidates as they expand. To attract the best talent, businesses must consider various structures, including on-site, hybrid and remote, as well as attractive employee perks like flexible schedules and paid time off.

While everyone wants high pay, there’s a limit on what employees are willing to sacrifice to get it. A strong company culture can safeguard your business by fostering employee happiness and long-term goodwill.

Remember company culture and employee engagement are everyone's responsibility. It cannot fall on HRs shoulder to run without help. There is an old saying "the fish rots from the head" which means, if management and senior leaders aren't bought into the company then no one will be. Work together to make your company the best place to work.