85% of employees are not actively engaged or are actively disengaged at work. Meaning only 15% of your team is working to their full capacity.

The last few years have been nothing quite like we’ve experienced before, navigating a global pandemic and cost of living crisis. As a result, there is an increased awareness of the importance of well-being, especially within the workplace. All these factors are taking a toll on the UK’s workforce, meaning more and more individuals are feeling exhausted and disengaged and therefore ‘quiet quitting’ their job.

What is ‘Quiet Quitting’? 

Quiet quitting refers to an employee that is showing signs of being disengaged from their daily activities. This typically stems from an employee that has ‘given up’ with their motivation to put in 100% effort and instead, they only fulfil the essential requirements of the role. 

 Signs of quiet quitting include a reduction in their normal rate of productivity, refusing to take on additional work or hours, not being willing to run for a promotion, or give a helping hand to other employees and not wanting to participate in team activities. 

 Related Article: ‘7 Best Practices Guaranteed For Effective Employee Recognition’

What are the reasons for ‘Quiet Quitting’?

 There are a great number of reasons why an employee might be quietly quitting, here are some of the most popular reasons why this might be the case:

• Striving to work with a company that offers either fully remote or hybrid working
• Favouring companies that accommodate a better work/life balance
• Experiencing employee burnout 
• Workplace/workload pressures being too high 
• Rising cost of living pressures on income taking its toll
• They are actively seeking employment elsewhere 
• Lack of career progression opportunities
• Minimal or no employee recognition incentives 
• Poor working environment and the relationship between employees 

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3 ways you can prevent ‘Quiet Quitting’… 

As HR or a person in a senior role, it is your responsibility to identify the signs of ‘quiet quitting’ in an employee so that you know how to tackle retention challenges and implement positive changes to reengage the employee.

1. Review workplace policies 

If you are experiencing a great number of employees disengaging, it may be worth reconsidering how your business is operated to make it a more positive environment. Consider introducing hybrid working or flexi work to help your employees feel better about their work/life balance. 

2. Review or implement employee recognition

Ensure that you are providing recognition for your employee’s best efforts, exceptional work, or ability to go above and beyond within their role. By recognising their efforts with positive rewards, they’ll feel valued and more inclined to make an effort to engage. 

3. Review employee salaries & promotion opportunities

With money and cost of living being one of the biggest concerns currently, it’s important to review employee salaries. Some employees find promotion opportunities a great incentive to work hard towards a goal, and clearly outline any possibility to progress within the company. 

It is highly recommended that you tackle issues with retention as a preventative measure to hopefully help reduce the number of employees that are disengaged from their work and ‘quiet quitting’. 

 To discuss HR employee retention, get in touch with Coppice HR by emailing paul@coppicehr.com or calling 07814 008478 for professional HR advice.