First, we had the “Great Resignation,” then the “Important Realignment.” Next was “Work from Home, Forever,” and now we’re onto “Quiet Quitting.”
The Quiet Quitters are rather loud.
People are complaining quite openly about most everything about work. Employees don’t want to return to the office. When they do, they are unhappy with their colleagues not being there. Managers are unhappy about the state of organizational clarity and not having enough information to share. Executives are wanting to navigate a post-pandemic world when they are not sure when the next shoe will drop.
Nobody is very happy, and they are not being quiet about it.
From a resilience perspective, we are not built to sustain this high level of stress over this kind of sustained period. We need to get into a place where we can settle in, do our work, have time with our family, and enjoy our personal pleasures.
We could decide that we are going to work to be happier and more engaged. There are no magical forces compelling us to do things we don’t enjoy.
It’s time we make the choices that bring us more satisfaction and reward
- Don’t like that your company in-office work requirement?
- Quit and find a work from home job. It may pay less and have fewer interactions with colleagues, and you can stay home.
- Not feeling the love or passion for the job?
- Study the company’s mission statement and check out whether there is alignment for you. Speak to a friend or trusted advisor about what is important to you. If passion is a must, then find a place where you can plant your seed and see it grow.
- Not having fun at the workplace?
- Were you having fun before the pandemic? If not, then why should you be surprised that you are not having fun now? You may be in the wrong job. If you were having fun in 2019, what was fun about what you were doing, and ask the question about what you can do to make the workplace more pleasurable.
- Not seeing the potential to advance professionally?
- We call it “Intentional Development.” No one is more interested in your career than you are. If you are looking for more opportunities at your job, volunteer for some projects, or reach out and help a colleague on their project. Those kinds of activities get you seen by others and that is how development happens
People have been “on the job, quitting” for a long time. It is generally described as “disengagement,” and Gallup has been tracking it for a while. What is different now is that people are openly talking and complaining about their work life instead of silently just doing a 70% job.
If the work is feeling a bit empty or your team energy is low and down, then lets connect for a chat about what can be done to support them to be happier and more productive. Let’s take the energy we put into being unhappy and focus on doing our job excellently and having more delight it doing our calling
Let’s not scream or go silent; Let’s do something.
© Richard Citrin 2022
