5 Ways to Avoid Quiet Quitting Amongst Remote Employees in 2024
Employees are quitting their jobs rapidly — not just those in conventional workplaces, but remote workers as well. A study by Gallop discovered that almost 50% of U.S. workers are quietly quitting, doing only the bare minimum — no more, no less. While it may appear that they’re just doing what they were hired for, the problem might be deeper than that.
Remote work was designed to give employees more opportunities to maintain a healthy work-life relationship. However, many complained of missing important family moments because of unrealistic deadlines.
Feeling demotivated or unheard at work, family stress, unfair compensation, little to no benefits, and unpaid overtime are also some of the many reasons why employees are quiet quitting.
What is Quiet Quitting?
Originally coined in March 2022 by employment influencer and Gen-X career coach Brian Creely, ‘quiet quitting’ is another term for slow disengagement at work. As we know, in a traditional setting, an employee would notify the manager and hand in the resignation as per protocol. But, in quiet quitting, you’ll notice a gradual decline in your employees’ productivity, motivation, and commitment to the job.
Quiet quitters withdraw from participating in meetings or work activities. They might refuse to answer emails, or call in sick more often, slowly damaging the team’s productivity and work culture.
Why Are Remote Employees Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting is not a spontaneous decision. It is the accumulation of numerous problems that employees may encounter throughout their employment. A primary reason why employees would consider quitting in the first place is low engagement. But let’s see what other factors contribute to quiet quitting.
Limited Prospects for Career Growth
Remote employees work the same hours and put in the same effort as conventional workers. Then why, in some cases, should they not have access to the same growth prospects? Employees could lose interest in their jobs when they feel their tasks are too redundant or their efforts won’t be fairly appreciated.
Compensation
It’s no surprise that employees quit when they’re not compensated equitably for their hard work. In fact, a study by Pew Research proved that it is one of the main reasons employee productivity has rapidly declined in remote work culture.
Another reason employees have stopped going above and beyond for their organizations is the increase in CEO pay in comparison to that of typical workers. Since 1978, CEOs have witnessed a whopping 1,200% increase in income, while workers have only gained a meager 15.3 % raise.
Personal or Family Matters
Healthcare can be a serious problem not just for remote workers, but also for traditional employees. Some quiet quitters may have to cut back on work hours to care for elderly parents or children. Missing out on birthdays, weddings, and graduation could also cause added stress.
If there is one thing remote working has taught us, it is that you don’t need a confined space or rigid hours to be productive. Employees can thrive both personally and professionally when allowed to work flexible hours.
Feeling Undervalued or Disrespected
Employees who feel disrespected at work could be more likely to quit. Disrespect in a professional environment may look like micromanaging, ignoring opinions, setting impractical deadlines, and criticizing every move or decision. Quiet quitting begins when employees feel unheard or undervalued by their supervisors or colleagues.
8 Signs of Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting is difficult to identify, but if an employee has only recently started showing disinterest in their work or reflected any of the below signs in their behavior, it may be a signal of quitting.
- Negativity towards work
- Refusing to contribute to meetings
- Missing deadlines
- Increased absenteeism
- Refusing to participate in team-building activities
- Late response to emails
- Missing video calls or turning off cameras
- Decreased productivity
5 Ways to Avoid Quiet Quitting in 2024
It is an alarming situation for organizations when many employees start quitting. However, there are ways to prevent it from happening in the first place.
- Acknowledge and incentivize employee accomplishments.
Employees who feel valued for their work are more likely to engage and participate in office activities.
Incentives such as promotion, bonus, raise, or even frequent verbal appreciation can show them that you admire the value they bring to your team. Motivating employees is a concrete way to prevent quiet quitting.
2. Provide opportunities for learning and professional development.
Offer your employees learning opportunities before they submit their resignations. Give them a chance to improve their skills and find significance in their work through learning and development.
A great way to boost employee morale is by investing in online courses, training workshops, and college credits to help them grow professionally and add value to their everyday tasks.
3. Encourage clear communication
Yes, remote workers also experience burnout. Maintaining healthy communication channels and a work-life balance keeps your team engaged and motivated. Implementing VoIP phone systems can play a pivotal role in facilitating effective communication for remote-working employees.
It can also be useful to establish guidelines on workload, deadlines, and flexible hours while leveraging VoIP technology with remote employees. When you invest in both communication and collaboration tools for your remote workers, you could notice a surge in overall productivity. ProofHub’s online collaboration tool allows team members to communicate with one another in real-time, allowing questions to be answered efficiently and tasks to be completed smoothly.
4. Provide consistent feedback
Monthly, quarterly, or biannually scheduled meetings enhance employees’ understanding of their work and foster greater engagement. Additionally, it serves as a platform for employees to communicate their needs and apprehensions to their managers or supervisors. Using google surveys to collect feedback from remote employees on their experience of remote work, can help managers to better understand what needs to be done to avoid quiet quitting
5. Listen to your employees attentively
Don’t dismiss your employees by saying, ‘That’s just how things work.’ When your employees complain about work culture, benefits, or salary issues, it’s worth hearing them out to find new ways to operate. Employees who feel like their supervisors are hearing them feel an added respect for their work.
Conclusion
Quiet quitting may seem like a threat to the modern work culture. But like any other problem, there is a solution. Not every workspace is perfect, but to keep your best talent from giving up on you, you must stay true to your commitments.
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