What strikes me about the great amounts of attention paid to 'quiet quitting', it is that work seems to leave no one indifferent. It is remarkable, all that attention for a term that has gone viral on TikTok, but - as all the interpretations and testimonies show - actually has no clear meaning. Especially whether it is something employees do out of dissatisfaction, “I am not appreciated anyway, especially not for all the extra tasks I take on” or from a positive perspective: focusing on what actually matters in their jobs.
I find it strange that this phenomenon elicits little response of the employers. Quiet quitting? Do employers lose sleep over it? "If only we could find enough people... and somehow counteract the real turnover... paying attention to quiet quitting, that’s just too much right now..." because, as you know, the job market is ‘on fire’, with a ‘war for talent’ as a consequence.
Dear employer, I think there are good reasons to take a closer look. Not so much at the term, but at the phenomenon it refers to. What about the engagement in your organization? What does your employees’ relationship with their work look like, on the spectrum from 'total indifference' to 'healthy engagement' to 'overcommitment'. Or from bore-out to burn-out. Do you have any idea? And what does this mean for the people themselves and your organization? And if you have no idea, how come? No time for dialogue? The elephant in the room?
I would also be very interested to know how many workplaces discuss the media debate at the lunch table - or at the weekly team meeting. Or do employees, supervisors and HR managers deftly walk around the elephant?
