Quiet quitting has been in the news lately and this is a major trend that is a struggle for many businesses right now. However, we must also talk about quiet firing. Every leader must understand the difference between quiet quitting and quiet firing in order to assess the changes that need to be made in order to retain top talent.
What is Quiet Quitting?
What is quiet quitting? Quiet quitting happens when employees become disengaged from their work.
Productivity declines as employees do less than the bare minimum. Keep in mind, a lot of people say that quiet quitting is when employees do the bare minimum. Doing the bare minimum is acceptable. If they’re doing the minimum then they are still productive. We need to move away from requiring everyone to be an overachiever and consistently rewarding only those who are.
One of the most detrimental aspects of quiet quitting is when employees begin to avoid offering their opinion. This often happens when they do not feel like they are being listened to or appreciated. You do not want employees who just do what they’re told all the time because this will not support innovation within your organization.
What is Quiet Firing?
| What is quiet firing? On the other hand, quiet firing is when management treats employees poorly in an effort to get them to quit voluntarily. This is not a new concept and it has been going on for a long time. It’s just that now, we have a name for it. Managers are often not equipped with the skills or personality type to manage conflict so they avoid it at all costs. An employee may come to them with a complaint and it is completely ignored. Or worse, by default they never take your side and constantly tell you that you’re in the wrong. Managers may also set employees up for failure. If they are treating employees poorly plus avoiding conflict, then the employees are not supported and therefore not set up for success. This may also manifest when managers take away important projects from employees that they simply do not like. |
How to Avoid Quiet Quitting and Quiet Firing
| How do we avoid quiet quitting and quiet firing? First, you need to ensure that you are providing your employees with a positive working environment. This can be done by properly managing conflict, shutting down toxic conversations, and building trust on your team. All companies should require managers to complete training. This needs to happen especially for new managers who were just promoted. They need to learn not only the skills needed to lead teams but also what style of leadership your company uses. Something that I started to do was to offer conflict management role-playing workshops. You can group people together and walk them through situations they may encounter or that you have encountered yourself. Everyone should get a turn as both the employee and manager in order to strengthen their emotional intelligence and teach them to think about the employees’ point of view. |
Leadership Courses on Pluralsight
You can learn more about about this topic in my Pluralsight course, Managing Technical Professionals. This course includes animated scenario-based training and you will watch as a management team uses leadership best practices to help you get your employees to perform at their highest potential. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills that you need to provide a positive and productive working environment as well as attract and retain top talent. Click the button below to get started with a free trial today!