Employees Quiet Quitting: Know How to Engage and Make them Stay

You may have seen it all over your social media feed: quiet quitting. Everyone, from HR managers to company bosses and thought leaders, has weighed in on this phenomenon, a buzzword in professional circles. Yet while it is currently trendy, quiet quitting is nothing new.

There's no concrete way to trace the origins of this movement. After all, any organisation can probably name a team member who does the bare minimum. However, the phenomenon picked up again the last year after Gen Z on TikTok proclaimed they were putting their foot down against doing work they're not paid to do. 

But is quiet quitting something you should worry about with your employees? We take a closer look at this workplace trend and review what this means for your workforce.

Contrary to popular belief, quiet quitting doesn’t mean your employee is leaving their job. Nor does it mean they neglect their duties at your organisation. Based on TikTok’s explanation of the phrase, quiet quitting simply means not overperforming at work. According to the Atlantic, Gen Z describes it as not letting their jobs take over their lives. The movement is a pushback against older millennials' “hustle” culture and the “work is life” ethos they once espoused that glorified being busy to the point of burnout. 

The Great Resignation may have kickstarted this quiet quitting resurgence. A survey cited by The Straits Times revealed that 52 per cent (one in two people) of those who resigned during the pandemic did so because they no longer felt engaged at work. About one-third said they left to make a switch from a toxic work environment or to take care of their mental health.

It’s not just Gen Z employees too: more executives and mid-level workers are making a mid-career switch to another industry, even if it means taking a pay cut to start a new, less-pressurised role. 

The various disruptions to life, health, and work amidst the pandemic have led to people rethinking what they want out of life, career, and job. As priorities shifted, they began to value work-life balance more, which affected their outlook on work.

While social media seemingly blames overwork, its definition does not quite capture the concept. Quiet quitting is not a matter of letting go after clocking out. Yes, quiet quitters stick to the basic responsibilities outlined in their job description and no more. However, they do so without enthusiasm for the tasks and the drive to improve themselves and the company. They’re jaded, nonchalant, almost as if on autopilot.. 

In China, Gen Z refers to quiet quitting as "bai lan." The term stems from basketball, describing the discouragement a player feels when they realise they won't win. In China, this defeatist attitude has penetrated other aspects of life. Employees who quiet quit do not take work too seriously. And, contrary to finding work-life balance to fuel productivity, bai lan is essentially just going through the motions.

So why do employees quiet quit? There could be several reasons behind it.

They’re burnt out. This reason is hardly surprising — after all, Singaporeans are among the most stressed-out employees in Asia and the world. The Singapore Business Review reported that the country's workforce has the poorest mental health in Southeast Asia, with only 57 per cent of employees saying their mental health was good. Meanwhile, 50 per cent said they have felt burnt out at least a few times a month. 

They need more time outside of work. The demands of a job can take away more precious time from home and the family, which can take a physical and mental toll on a person, especially when they have caregiving responsibilities. For some, quitting a job means making up for that lost time while finding another job that better caters to their needs. A report by the Asian Development Bank found that more women than men have left their jobs in Southeast Asia. According to McKinsey’s Women in the Workplace report, women significantly take on more domestic duties than men.

In Singapore and across Asia, where traditional values remain, the convention still expects women to carry out domestic duties even when they’re active members of the workforce. It creates a dual burden for them, either burning themselves out from juggling both or choosing one over the other.

They feel resigned. According to the CNA Insider documentary on Bai Lan, many employees believe that this is as far as they go as far as success is concerned, so they're unmotivated to do anything further. 

Quiet quitters aren’t a problem, per se, but they can spread a culture of passivity and indifference. They're just – there. Most quiet quitters are unmotivated at work and lack the vigour and vitality a business needs to thrive.

Here are ways to engage quiet quitters and foster a positive and encouraging workplace that inspires them to be their best.

Respect work-life boundaries. Boundaries are crucial in the time of hybrid work schemes – even as most companies in Singapore have been able to return to the office, maintaining a remote or hybrid work arrangement is necessary for making employees stay. The pandemic has made many employees realise the value of work-life balance and how they want their jobs to fit into that life. A progressive organisation that values its team's well-being and can empathise with an employee's non-work life, such as household management and child-rearing, will go a long way in engaging those prone to quiet quitting.

Offer new and exciting opportunities for growth. Employees may not be bothered to perform well at work because they do not see a path forward for growth, leaving them resigned to maintaining the status quo. When your organisation offers high-growth opportunities, workers can become more invested in their career paths. Evaluate the doors you can open for them, such as launching a mentorship programme. A mentor can give them valuable advice on envisioning their next professional steps, help identify clearer opportunities for your growth and impart significant lessons and transferable skills that bolster their potential at work.

Anchor your organisation to a higher purpose. Employees, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, value staying with a company that stands for something. More importantly, this company needs to care about this cause genuinely. 

A genuine cause can help disengaged employees reconnect with the organisation and find a deeper purpose. You can start by strengthening your company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. You can also take this a notch higher: what values does the company stand for and what advocacy is best aligned with that? Making a genuine commitment to creating a difference in the world can help your employees become more passionate and invested in their work.

Create opportunities to upskill. An employee is more likely to stay and build their careers with your company when they feel that you sincerely invest in their growth and success. Think outside the box and carve out opportunities for your members to expand their knowledge or skill set — whether to grow their technical know-how or help them adapt transferable ones. Upskilling helps workers gain confidence in their abilities and learn how to seize new growth opportunities. They also become much more versatile employees. 

Having quiet-quitting employees is not the end of the world. Now that you know the primary causes of this phenomenon, you can further engage them and make them more passionate about what they do. Help them reclaim their time, empower them with growth, and create a happier workplace they never want to leave – mentally and otherwise. For more expert advice on motivating employees at work, visit the Employer Insights page.