Employer Values Core to Reducing Quiet Quitting

Employees now use the term quiet quitting as if it has been around forever, but it has probably been around longer than you think. Coined in 2009 by economist Mark Boldger at a Texas A&M economics symposium, he was talking about ambition dropping in Venezuelan workers. By 2021, a labor movement in China, tang ping, or lying flat, uses the same characteristics of a sort of work-to-rule mindset.

This year, talking about quiet quitting surged after a viral TikTok video. No longer considered something to be ashamed of, Gallup reports that at least half of the U.S. workforce is quiet quitting as of September 2022.

They also tell us that employee engagement dropped again in the second quarter of 2022. Engaged workers remain at 32% but actively disengaged workers increased to 18%.

Psychologically Detached

Quiet quitters aren’t likely actively spreading their dissatisfaction at work. They quietly do as little work as they can, looking for other options and staying as emotionally detached as possible.

Many experts suggest that these workers distance themselves because of a lack of clarity of expectations, career growth opportunities, and feeling connected to the mission of the organization’s leadership. While these are considerations, a growing disconnect between employees and their employers is about distraction and not feeling cared about.

Does it appear that employment and care clashing and the inability to spend adequate  “caring”  energy on their aging parent’s needs? Could it be that many employees do not see enough bold actions to change the employment and care collision, not shifting the root cause of the exhaustion and discontent for the total workforce?

The Statistics

Let’s look at some stats.                                                                                                                                             

SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)  research found that a quarter of employees plan to quit their jobs outright once the COVID-19 pandemic and recruiting efforts start up again. Major contributors to this exodus include the desire for better compensation and benefits (35%), and better work/life balance (25%). 

Asana’s 2022 Anatomy of Work report says 7 out of 10 employees experienced burnout in the past year. Is this ALL about COVID? Could there be more to it? Especially considering that quiet quitting is still on the rise as things return to normal.

At the same time, at least 4 out of 10 employees provide unpaid care to an aging or vulnerable friend or family member. Could there be a causal motivational overlap? And if there is, how much? And what can employers, or anyone, do about it?                                            

Workers are so committed to having greater flexibility and work/life balance that they are willing to give up a portion of their future earnings in exchange for paid time off to volunteer for a cause of their choice. According to PwC’s March 2021 Pulse survey, “almost half of Gen Z (45%) and Millennial (47%) employees said they are willing to give up 10% or more of their future earnings in exchange for the option to work virtually from almost anywhere.”                                                                                      

Where to Start

Organizations are at their wits’ ends! They try to add voluntary benefits such as  pet insurance,  perks, more flexible dress codes, and even prolonged opportunities to work from home (at least part-time.) And these solutions do seem to have some impact on the companies implementing them. But it’s not enough. The rates of disengagement continue to increase.

Could these rates be tied to the increasing number of Baby Boomers requesting (demanding?) care from employed family members? How could you find out if this 30-year phenomenon contributes to the instability in your workforce?    

If the demographic realities of aging explore the collision of work and care demands and take on equal stature in workforce strategy with the health and wellness crisis, it is only a matter of time before national employers conclude that improvements must be made to protect employees from unrealistic home care demands and innovative/symbiotic solutions to manage the care system and job continuity better. It’s time for the progressive adoption of the Work and Care Anywhere policy to family care efforts.  Informed leaders committed to transitioning the business to perform in an aging society will publicly commit to a caring employment environment.  As employment rebranding is instilled in the human capital strategy brand, employment stability and motivation will grow over time.

CareWise Solutions offers an opportunity to get to the bottom of this quickly and accurately in three easy steps.      

Step #1 – Employee Caregiving Survey

Survey your employees to determine the extent of the problem in your organization. CareWise Solutions surveys ask the right questions, providing you with a comprehensive report, so you can calculate your current losses and make appropriate planning decisions.

Step #2 – Creating a Caring Place

The Caring Place is an easy-to-implement, low-cost solution to allow employees to step away from work to care. Our experts will provide oversight to help you create an on-site oasis for caregiver respite to keep them on the job.      

Step #3 – Elevate Corporate Awareness

Elevating corporate awareness and actions support unique challenges for underserved communities. Social Determinants of Health also include healthcare at home that family caregivers perform.  Consider the disparate health, job, income, and total employee losses in lower-salaried jobs. By taking these steps, you can enrich the relationships with your employees, so the trend of quiet quitting passes quickly. Don’t let quiet quitting settle into your workplace culture. The suggested donation to the non-profit organization CareWise Solutions is $500. Your contribution may be tax-deductible.

Quiet Quitting has a sister challenge. Quiet Caregiver Quitting in your organization as almost 50% of the team are undeclared family caregivers exhausted by expectations to do two jobs, one paid and one unpaid.

     CareWise Solutions knows how to accelerate your workforce transition to a healthier, committed and caring operational environment. Business leaders will face requirements for bold action- – choose today or tomorrow.

Quiet Employee-Caregiver Quitting is not a Family Fix-It Problem!

For information about solutions to caregiver quiet quitting suitable for your organization, click HERE.