As a tight labour market gives workers more negotiating power than they have had in a long time, some employers are lamenting the rise of “quiet quitting”.
Quiet Quitting is when workers do the role required of them and nothing more. No overtime, no extra tasks, all in the name of creating a better work-life balance.
But while some employers might see this new trend as laziness, is “quiet quitting” just a new word for simply doing your job?
Council of Trade Unions director of policy Craig Renney said it was important to remember that quiet quitting was not the choice of an individual worker, but the result of a failing system.
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“People talk about quiet quitting as if it is the result of an individual decision, where in fact it is the result of hundreds of decisions made by businesses and government resulting in the demotivation of workers,” Renney said.
During the pandemic, many workers put in long hours, took pay cuts, and were on the front line of the fight against Covid-19. But while many businesses had since seen their profits rebound, many workers had not been properly rewarded for their sacrifice, he said.
“If you are a worker that has been going above and beyond for a business but not seen any reward for that, then it is no surprise if you become rapidly demotivated.”
The quiet quitting phenomenon was not just an issue for individual businesses, but for the economy as a whole, he said.
“It really comes down to an issue of labour productivity, which New Zealand already has a shocking record in. Anything that helps workers to feel more motivated, will benefit the economy at large.”
Research from the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) into workplace wellbeing found one in four workers planned to change jobs in the next 12 months.
More than 87% of workers surveyed said workplace pressure had a negative impact on their emotional, psychological and physical health over the last three months.
EMA chief executive Brett O’Riley said the data should sound a “clear warning bell” to businesses.
“Poor work-life balance and pressure on employees to work longer hours… can impact an individuals’ wellbeing, but also productivity at the business and its sustainability into the future,” O’Riley said.
Michael Osmond, head of people at recruitment management firm JobAdder said it was on employers to learn about quiet quitting, and help their employees avoid it, before it became an issue.
There were three things employers could do to avoid quiet quitting from their workers, he said.
Firstly, employers should make it clear during the hiring process what a role involved and not assign tasks outside those parameters.
“While it is not unacceptable to ask workers for a helping hand when necessary, it’s unfair to expect them to complete jobs they did not initially sign up for or punish them for refusing to do so,” Osmond said.
Secondly, employers should communicate with their workers and understand their needs. This was particularly important with younger workers, he said.
Osmond pointed to global research from Deloitte, which showed 46% of Gen Z and 38% of millennial workers reported feeling stressed all or most of the time.
“Regularly checking in with employees to ensure they are not feeling burnt out or struggling to keep up with their workload helps to form a level of trust. This way, staff will be more comfortable going to their superiors when they have concerns.”
Lastly, employers needed to understand that employees not going “above and beyond” did not make them a bad worker, he said.
“It is perfectly acceptable for employees to do their vital work for the day and then go home without undertaking any additional tasks during their shifts or pushing back if asked to do so.
“This does not make them a bad worker if they can competently complete their required work by deadline and meet whatever standards they must adhere to.”
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