HR reacts to the viral phenomenon of quiet quitting—and offers a few words of advice on engagement

For those who pay attention to workplace trends, a scourge is sweeping the internet, and it may or may not mean anything at all. The conversation surrounding “quiet quitting”—a TikTok-spawned trend characterized by the idea that workers are increasingly rejecting a culture that values overachieving in favor of doing the bare minimum to keep their jobs—has created two online camps. One side argues quiet quitting is an old chestnut with a new name, while the other is raising the alarm about dwindling engagement.

But what do those in and around HR—the legion of folks tasked with keeping workforces engaged and motivated—have to say about the loud conversation surrounding quiet quitting?

The pandemic was long, and people are tired—give them a break. “It speaks to the tired and frustrated feeling that many are experiencing on the tail end of the pandemic...People are reassessing their priorities, and social disconnection can be part of this shift.”—Michelle Hay, global chief people officer at workplace technology provider Sedgwick, told the Washington Post.

Engage, actively. “In my opinion, you should always think about whether a conversation with the right person might solve an issue you have—it could be pay, development opportunities, flexibility, and could be easily dealt with via open comms. Obviously, this doesn’t always solve the problem, therefore looking elsewhere for an opportunity that suits you better would be a solid alternative.”—Lindsey Wroe, a recruiter for HR professionals in the UK, wrote on LinkedIn.

Make expectations clear, or else. “If you just accept employees doing the bare minimum to get by, then you’re ‘quiet quitting’ your job as a manager. Bottom line: You can’t force anyone to do anything. Employees who coast are usually disengaged from their work, so figuring out how to get them motivated is the only way to get them to naturally sustain higher engagement. If you can’t, or they won’t, then you can set expectations for performance and outcomes. And if they don’t meet those expectations, you can quietly fire the quitters.”—Greg Giangrande, chief people officer at ed-tech firm Ellucian and advice columnist, wrote for the NY Post.

It boils down to a failure of leadership. “There’s a far more compelling argument to say that executives are the ones ‘quiet quitting’—they’re the ones who have failed to create incentive structures for working harder and doing more, they’re the ones that have failed to create meaningful ways to grow in an organization, and they’re the ones that are now complaining that people aren’t working hard enough.”—Ed Zitron, CEO of EZPR, wrote in his Where’s Your Ed At newsletter.

Even though quiet quitting might not be a new phenomenon, that hasn’t stopped droves of people from offering their opinions as if it suddenly fell from the sky.—SB

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @SammBlum on Twitter. For completely confidential conversations, ask Sam for his number on Signal.