OC Analyze

There's Nothing Quiet About Quitting

There’s Nothing Quiet About Quitting

By now, we were hoping the term Quiet Quitting would have evolved into a more accurate representation of how people feel their work fits into their life. It seems it still needs some incubation…

We are no fans of two- to three-word movements in general – they tend to cause more confusion than clarity (by design) – but this topic is in our wheelhouse.

Whether accurate or misleading, Quiet Quitting brings attention to a complex problem that has existed for a long time: people feel overworked, underappreciated, and disengaged with their work.

People feel overworked, underappreciated,
and disengaged with their work.

There are ways for employers and employees to address these issues – we have applied them successfully. But the solutions are not easy and require time, effort, and patience from everyone involved, especially bosses.

As we are wont to do, we will look at this topic from both sides – Manager and Employee – to get a better sense of what is happening and how people might address the deeper issues.

Let’s use the following example* an OfficeChaos member shared of an exchange between an employee, “Jan,” and Jan’s manager. For context, Jan has years of management experience and recently joined a fully-remote company. After several months in the position, Jan identified some of the challenges the organization was facing and voiced those concerns during a management meeting. Jan followed up the meeting with an email to the manager:

Jan: “…I’d like to share some thoughts about the meeting and propose a few next steps. I am aware of the situation with the team and wondering how we might fix it.
I’d like to suggest we get together, in real life, and talk things through. I feel our rapport is lacking and would be good for us.
I hope you feel this would be of benefit and look forward to it.”

Manager: “…I don’t think our issue is one of rapport. I’m a manager and leader within this organization. It is my responsibility to give feedback.
I think a more constructive use of time would be to reflect on performance and make sure we’re moving forward in a way that’s best for the company.
Happy to discuss later this week if you want to put 15 minutes on my calendar.”

We can interpret the above many ways and have fun exploring them all, but as it relates to Quiet Quitting, the example shows some of the organizational behaviors driving current workplace sentiment. It also provides a scenario we can use to show how things are evolving for the better.

Traditionally, managers have been trained, or learned on their own, to take a command approach with direct reports and impart control over their work. Their focus is on evaluation, critique, and correction. They give paternalistic and directive feedback – commanding and controlling their team to success. The “I’m the boss, and it is my responsibility whether we succeed or fail!” mentality has been the norm for generations.

Those approaches are about to be behind us.

“Just Do It,” is a maxim for companies hawking sneakers,
their celebrity shills, and tired parents - not bosses.

Managers:

If you are a manager and can relate to the above, it may be painful to learn you are in the minority. Of course, this management approach happens everywhere. A fraction of a large number is still a large number. But it’s no longer the 1980s (or 1880s). People today expect a different work experience – or at least, the working conditions and technologies of the 2020s provide a vehicle for treating our work relationships differently.

Let us be clear. We stand for giving everything you have toward a common goal or outcome. Putting in the work, individually or with a team, and achieving a goal can be one of the most rewarding experiences one could ask for in their career. But today, with views on what defines work and the focus on meaningful and rewarding endeavors, there needs to be a shared understanding of what we are doing and why we are doing it. It needs to matter to everyone. “Just Do It,” is a maxim for companies hawking sneakers, their celebrity shills, and tired parents, not bosses.

Managers need pay attention to how they engage with their direct reports. Each has their perspective on how they see the world, including their work. No longer can managers take sweeping command-and-control approaches to their whole team and still be effective.

So why do many still take the traditional approach when managing employees? Why aren’t today’s more effective practices known by all and applied everywhere?

Because it’s not easy. These concepts go against our instincts. They are new and different and require tools most managers don’t have at their disposal. What seems like letting go of oversight feels uncomfortable and irresponsible, especially for those who have managed successfully for years.

We don’t blame them. Why change if you’ve been rewarded for how you approach your responsibilities as a manager? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

"What gets measured, matters."
We pay attention to what's measured because
that's how we are evaluated.

But broke can mean many things. Broke can be a crack in a wheel or something deeper and more nuanced. Identifying what’s broken is a challenge for most managers, especially for those who haven’t been trained on what to look for, or even to understand there is something to look for.

Outcomes, especially the good ones, are easy to see and measure. While they are worth celebrating, what’s below the surface, what’s broken, could be the cost of achieving those outcomes. Most managers pay attention to what’s measured because that’s how they are evaluated. “What gets measured, matters.” It’s hard to measure a person’s engagement. It’s even harder to address each employee’s needs and desires and tie them to the work the organization expects them to do.

Fear not managers, we have some ways to help you look under the surface, to identify issues and address them with your reports; approaches that, with a little care, will have many benefits in the long run. Please look for Part 3 of this series: Summary and Solutions.

Next, we look at Quiet Quitting from the Employee’s perspective.

 

There’s Nothing Quiet About Quitting​ series: