If there is one thing that is certain, it’s that the Great Resignation Era is in full swing. And with it comes an influx of new issues and business practices that people should look out for.
Out of the Great Resignation Era came the particularly significant and new business phenomena of “quiet-quitting and quiet-firing,” which apply to both the employee and employer, respectively.
Explaining ‘quiet-quitting’ and ‘quiet-firing’
Quiet-quitting is the practice of employees acting their wage – or “running out the clock” every shift you work – by doing the bare minimum to prevent total burn-out and yet still remain employed.
Quiet-firing, on the other hand, is when instead of outright firing burnt-out employees, employers will make the workplace as unpleasant as possible, therefore encouraging undesired employees to quit.
Image ‘Frustration’ by Peter Alfred Hess CC BY 2.0 Flickr.
What these practices mean for people and businesses
As a result of these practices, employers all across the board have struggled with very low staff numbers during and after COVID, causing further business complications and adjustments such as being forced to overwork their few employees and close earlier than they used to.
One thing to note about quiet-quitting is how it is not solely about working less, by doing the bare minimum, but it is also about minimal engagement levels.
According to Jim Harter of Gallup, a poll showed that ‘the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is now 1.8 to 1, the lowest in almost a decade.’ This overall decline in engagement is therefore signaling an increased disconnect between employees and their employers. In a 2022 article by the staff of PRSay, it is noted how ‘actively disengaged employees tend to spread their dissatisfaction on TikTok and other social media, Gallup found.’
Social media has definitely contributed to people hearing about them, but there are also some signals to pick up on that they are in fact happening at your workplace, whether it’s face-to-face, online or both.
So, am I doing it??
As described by Elizabeth Yuko of Reader’s Digest, you are quiet-quitting when you disengage with work, by becoming less available and less attentive to emails, communique, arrival time, and so on. Also, whenever you lack any initiative, ‘when a once-enthusiastic employee stops stepping up to spearhead projects or take on new responsibilities, it can be noticeable.’
Next, when you isolate yourself from the rest of the team, whether that is spending less time partaking in social or informal conversations with co-workers, to eating lunch alone. Remotely, another sign is when you intentionally turn off your camera and audio during a video call when it would be on. And finally, when you experience a shift of thoughts about work:
As an employee, are you more often having an internal dialogue where you’re asking yourself questions like ‘What is the point?’ or muttering the phrase, ‘There must be more to life than this?’ These can be hidden signs [that] you’re starting to question what you’re doing in the grander picture of work and life.
Image by Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0.
On the side of the employer, there are also seven signs of quiet-firing to look out for at your work, according to Ashton Jackson of CNBC. As listed in the article, you are likely being quiet-fired if:
- You haven’t seen a salary increase after one to two years.
- You don’t receive any meaningful feedback from your manager.
- Your manager avoids engaging with you.
- You’ve been singled out to answer tough questions at team or company meetings.
- Your ideas are disregarded.
- You aren’t being challenged or given additional opportunities and projects.
- You’re left out of meetings, events and/or social gatherings.
Thanks to social media and news reporting, these issues of quiet-quitting and quiet-firing have begun to raise attention and awareness regarding the larger economic trend that is the Great Resignation Era. They certainly pertain to today’s employees as well as employers, who consistently need to know more about them in order to maintain their own productivity and happiness in a post-COVID work environment. However, it must pique your interest of what, if any, social and economic factors lead up or contribute to these issues.
Make sure that you stay tuned to find that out, and more, and feel free to message me personally through the Contact Me tab up above!
Business Wellness 
