How do you build employee loyalty and prevent silent quitting?

What is Silent Quitting and how can we build employee loyalty? In this article we'll share with a sneak peek on how organizations can plan ahead, and build a company culture that will allow collaborators to grow professionally in your organization.

👀What is Silent Quitting?

Quiet quitting refers to the practice of employees leaving their positions without any warning or fanfare. In practical terms,an employee who resigns silently does nothing more or less than his or her job description in the strict sense. Explained this way, silent resignations may seem harmless. However, they are a genuine social phenomenon with a global dimension.In line with the events of the "big resignation" that made headlines in 2021, the trend of quiet quitting seems to prolong the remarkable wave of departures observed in China and the United States.

The negative impact of silent resignations is already being measured and is a serious problem for policy makers and human resources. An undeniable employee loyalty crisis, silent resignations can lead to a shortage of skilled workers and a loss of knowledge. If your company is facing a "silent resignation" problem, or you want to prevent it, there are some things you can do to anticipate its impact on your business.

➡️ The origins and scope of quiet quitting

The phenomenon of the great resignation made its mark during and after the pandemic of 2020-2021. Nevertheless, a deep malaise has been affecting the corporate sphere for the past several years, taking the form of widespread employee dissatisfaction.‍

The great resignation: a post-Covid 19 mass departure phenomenon

The years 2020 and 2021 have been marked by unprecedented change and transformation. Forced corporate closures and lockdowns have had disastrous economic and financial consequences, which have been mitigated in part by emergency government assistance and other forms of economic intervention and support, particularly stimulus checks.

With just a few exceptions, most employees were forced to stay home.During this extended period of isolation, employees had the opportunity to reflect on their work and plan for a fresh start once the pandemic era was over. While the pandemic did not affect all regions of the world equally, hundreds of millions of employees spent the majority of 2020 at home, working remotely, or not working at all.

The Great Resignation, attributed to business professor Anthony Klotz,began a year later, in the spring of 2021, when employees were asked to return to work, but many did not.

➡️ Reasons for disengagement at work

The Great Resignation and Quiet Quit show that there is a deep, long-lasting, and widespread dissatisfaction in the workforce that needs to be addressed. One of the most common reasons for the Great Resignation is that workers are not making enough money to live on. One of the main reasons the quiet quitter quits is because their work is not fulfilling or meaningful. Thus, quiet quitting and great resignation are the result of feeling undervalued and under appreciated1. Therefore, the main reason that people who are actively disengaged are unhappy in their jobs is because their work needs are not met.

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Neglected human needs‍

In both the great resignation and quiet quitting cases, it is clear that the origins of employee dissatisfaction revolve around three fundamental characteristics shared by all humans: desires, values, and goals.

Wants

There are no specific needs for one gender, age, country or religion. If you want to foster a strong sense of belonging and commitment among your employees, you need to consider their desires. According to the theory of human needs1, individuals achieve and maintain a state of well-being when they are able to satisfy their basic needs.

Values‍

Values in organizations can be highlighted from four angles :

✅ Personal values,

✅ The alignment between personal values and those of the organization,

✅ Alignment between values and behavior,

✅ A mutual interest in the values.

Objectives / Purpose

The third cause of employee resignation or disengagement is the lack of connection with the organization's goals and the lack of professional fulfillment1.In this context, the definition of a purpose is a total commitment and devotion to something greater than ourselves. Purpose is a moral virtue thatcontributes to human happiness and fulfillment. It is not surprising, then, that progress towards a purpose is directly related to happiness. According toscientific studies, people who have a purpose in life live longer than those who do not. In addition, people who know and pursue a purpose are less likelyto suffer from cognitive diseases1. Clearly, employees who have a purpose at work are more engaged than their peers who do not. Despite the manybenefits of having and pursuing a purpose, only 25% of U.S. adults report finding clear meaning in their work goals.

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Fed up with "Hustle Culture"‍

Hustle Culture is a trend among American entrepreneurs and workers that emphasizes hard work and personal ambition. This culture is often criticized for its lack of respect for work/life balance and its encouragement of behavior which ends in burnout.

Hustle Culture" and "Quiet Quitting" are two related trends according to scientists. Indeed, Harfoush (2019) realized this link between these two concepts in hisbook "Hustle and Float: Reclaim Your Creativity and Thrive in a World Obsessed with Work". Specifically, constant innovation and expectations of results are negatively impacting the mental and physical health of workers. The new work order formed by these two poles puts a tough burden on employees. In addition, hybrid and virtual business models, which remove uncertainty and render the boundary between work and personal life superfluous, lead to increased employee burnout4.

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For more on this topic, download our white paper on silent quitting and building employee loyalty within your organization!

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