Quiet Firing or Quiet Quitting? Advice for Management
Quiet Firing all comes down to management practices. It is either caused by a poorly executed attrition plan, or poor leadership. Here are a few things that management does that causes the Quiet Quitting phenomenon, and how to fix them.
1. Not having basic performance metrics in place: Everyone wants to know how they're doing at work. Every employee knows that they are being measured, and that taking those measurements costs money. If it costs money, it must be important. A little bit of transparency about the numbers behind what an employee is doing can be a great motivator for that employee. It also opens the door for employee feedback that can improve the system for everyone involved.
2. Not communicating with employees: We've all heard it time and time again “Use your resources,” “It's on the intranet,” “Just check the manual,” or worse, silence. Everyone knows there are resources, where they are, and how to use them, but sometimes stress gets the best of any employee, and they may forget. Answer the question. For those in upper management, make sure your message is making it to production in the way intended. That means talking to people and double checking everyone's work. There have been many a three-year plan brought down by middle managers that didn't use their own resources.
3. Not developing employees: Employee Development is the easiest way to both get people to be loyal to a company, and to get them to leave. It also works quicker than “letting attrition take care of” downsizing. Most HR suites now come with full employee education and development programs. Make use of them for employees that are struggling and offer them time at work to get the modules done. If the employee likes the company these modules will prepare them for future advancement and give management a great data set for what the employee wants to do, and how prepared they are to do it. If they are dissatisfied with their jobs or positions, it will give them the opportunity to grow up and out of the company. This will not only increase the company's reputation within the industry, but it will also attract more talented people, even if only temporarily.
4. Not recognizing when employees go “above and beyond”: Everyone likes to know they're doing well, and everyone like to see someone else happy. Many people, mostly women, in business take on secondary and tertiary roles in the office that keep things running smoothly. They take on extra random projects, fix little things around the office, take on committee assignments, put up decorations, and generally arrange all the little fun things a company does. These are often thankless jobs in general with upper management counting on the “ooh and ahhs” of the other employees to keep motivation up. Unfortunately, not everyone likes holidays, and someone generally has something nasty to say on the best of occasions, greatly lessening everyone's motivation. Due to this these efforts should be recognized and supported by management as many of these little projects expand the workday for the employee doing them while also greatly improving employee morale and production.
5. Forgetting that “Above and Beyond” starts at the top: So, you own the business, and expect people to work just as hard as you do to keep it going? That isn't going to happen. They don't have the same risk involved that you do. They need a different kind of motivation. While good example is a great start, good salary and medical benefits are even better. Add in mental health support, dental, vision, a production bonus plan, and at least 5% match on a 401k or similar profit sharing that allows the employee to invest for themselves. Make sure all management practices are transparent. There are very few things that need to be kept fully secret in business, and at some point, everything a business has done should be able to be referenced for data. Communicate, communicate, communicate, make sure the right message is being heard and echoed throughout the organization. Corporate has a tendency to forget that they may tell the initial story, but the front-line manager is the one that shapes the morality of the tale.
Management may think they have good reason to just let things lie, but they don't. Everyone must keep working in tandem for any large company goals to be met. Corporate must strive to make sure employees feel heard, seen, and cared for. This is important when dealing with employees that regularly do more for their position than necessary; especially for those that take on more of the business’ emotional burdens. Make note of who these people are in your organization, make sure the responsibilities are spread among the entire team, and are not the extra focus of one or two women.
