This isn’t just a TikTok trend that’s here one day and gone the next. Quiet quitting, when workers stick solely to the job description without taking on extra responsibilities, is a very real phenomenon that has been present in the workforce for decades. Only the name itself is new.
While it’s easy to conclude that quiet quitters are simply lazy and don’t want to do good work, we may be missing a deeper issue. Of course, some employees may be problematic, but leaders shouldn’t be excluded from the conversation either.
According to a report from ADP Research Institute, one of the most popular reasons for resignations was a negative relationship with managers. As job opening and hiring rates have been dropping, a negative manager-worker relationship might not always culminate in the worker’s resignation. Thus, quiet quitting becomes the more viable option for the worker.
To get a clearer picture of how managers can affect quiet quitting, Harvard Business Review analyzed data on over 2500 managers who had ratings from over 13,000 directly reporting employees.
“We found that the least effective managers…had 14% of their direct reports quietly quitting, and only 20% willing to give extra effort. But those who were rated the highest at balancing results with relationships saw 62% of their direct reports willing to give extra effort, while only 3% were quietly quitting.”
While 14% of employees being quiet quitters doesn’t seem like such a large number, having only 42% fewer employees willing to go the extra mile is a substantial difference in engagement levels.
To identify the causes of low employee engagement, here are three bad leadership habits to watch out for.
The Cost of Micromanagement
Managers who excessively monitor and scrutinize employee performance are a nightmare for the average employee. With so much attention on how they can control the employee’s work, the micromanager leaves little room for the employee to have autonomy over their work or to even trust the employee they trust their ability to perform well.
A manager-worker relationship without trust is likely to be strained, and the employee may find it difficult to feel motivated or engaged at work.
A poll from Monster on red flags in the workplace determined that “73% of workers consider micromanagement the biggest workplace ‘red flag’, and 46% identify it as a reason they would leave their job.”
Considering the results from Monster’s poll, employees under a micromanager may soon leave the company altogether. Before then, they may just take up quiet quitting until they can find their next opportunity.
The Problem with Toxic Positivity
Where micromanagement is typically seen as negative behavior, leadership strategies from the opposite end of the spectrum can also be damaging. While optimism is usually a positive trait, there is a line that, if crossed, can cause workers to perceive it as tone-deaf.
Employees may face serious challenges either in their work or in their personal life that seeps into their work and affects their performance. While the optimistic manager may intend to be supportive, telling employees to “stay positive” in the face of hardships or that “happiness is a choice” can downplay their struggles. Optimism can work in some situations, but others require actionable steps to fix the problem causing the employee stress. When solutions are passed over in favor of optimism, managers risk engaging in toxic levels of positivity that leave employees feeling unheard, unmotivated, and disengaged from their work due to feeling unsupported.
Rigid Work Policies and Low Morale
We’re in a new age of the workplace where employees are prioritizing flexibility in their profession. A survey from Deloitte revealed that when offered, flexible work options were the most valued, as well as flexible work policies, highlighting how the benefits of improved mental health and work-life balance are necessary for employee satisfaction.
When work policies are too rigid and force employees to obey inflexible rules, they can feel trapped in their position and that their well-being is not important. This disconnect then contributes to lower morale and disengagement—aka quiet quitting.
On the other hand, an employee who feels trusted by their manager is likely to be more engaged and motivated in their position.
How HR Leaders Can Combat Quiet Quitting
If any of these detrimental leadership practices are present in your organization, here are actionable steps you can take to combat them:
- Promote Autonomy: Micromanagers can have the organization’s best interest at heart, but they must learn how to balance allowing employees autonomy over their work. Encourage these managers to set clear goals with room for flexibility in how work is achieved, which can then empower employees.
- Address Toxic Positivity with Realistic Support: Managers who embrace toxic positivity may do it unknowingly as their original motivation may be to support their employees. Present scenarios in which positivity can be balanced with empathy to form actionable solutions to any challenges that employees face.
- Advocate for Flexible Work Policies: Rigid work policies are out of fashion as many companies are offering remote or hybrid work policies that employees value to support their well-being. Advocate for flexible work policies across departments to create a balance that allows for employee autonomy while leaving room for in-office support.
By addressing these challenges among managers, HR leaders can create a workplace culture that addresses quiet quitting by promoting flexibility and valuing both autonomy and empathy. With these steps, HR teams can build an employee workforce that is more resilient and engaged with the organization’s mission.
