There’s been a lot of ‘noise’ about quiet quitting amongst the HR community. Initially we thought that it was a buzz word that would die down, but it seems that the term has become embedded into HR speak and seems to be gathering momentum.
So, we thought that we’d put together a nifty explanation of quiet quitting and some thoughts for the housing sector.
What is quiet quitting?
The term ‘quiet quitting’ was first made popular on TikTok and has taken the HR world by storm. You’ll be surprised to learn that quiet quitting has nothing to do with quitting work but is more about the idea of going above and beyond. It means only doing the bare minimum in the workplace and doing nothing more, so no more helping out with additional tasks or answering emails outside of work.
What can HR do?
Well actually, the real debate is should employers really be expecting their employees to consistently go above and beyond?
Shouldn’t everybody have a right to be able to work their jobs and switch off if they need to at the end of the day?
We’d argue that if someone is going above and beyond and constantly exerting discretionary effort then shouldn’t there be an additional consideration about whether you have the right headcount in place, and if not put in steps to recruit more employees? After all, employers have a duty of care to ensure that employee wellbeing is looked after, and that employees don’t experience burnout.
Coming out of a pandemic we’ve seen a real recalibration of work life balance, so engagement and retention strategies really need to be considered and well thought through.
7 considerations on ensuring employee engagement
Whilst there is no panacea for ensuring employee engagement there are some considerations that all employers should consider as part of their overall HR strategy. Here's our top 7:
- Communicate your mission so that employees understand their purpose and what is expected of them
- Appraise and discuss workload regularly and be clear on expectations
- Ensure that your reward and recognition strategy are in consideration of your organisation and as a minimum in line with the market
- Be clear, honest and consistent in your communications
- Where possible allow employees to work flexibly and have autonomy over their work
- Allow space for training and progression and be clear on opportunities for progression or promotion
- Make sure that employees are enabled in their work with the appropriate platforms and technologies.
As always, we’re here to help! If you need some support with your headcount or recruitment, get in touch with Caryl Thomas our experienced (and awesome!) Senior HR Talent Manager who is always happy to help and provide guidance. Drop her a message at caryl@moxiepeople.com
