Let’s say a person gets hired at your job. They come to work every day energized and put their all into it, even going above and beyond the job description.
But, within six months, there’s a noticeable negativity that pervades, complete with a bad attitude and doing only the minimum required of their job’s specific duties. This is one of the many warning signs of quiet quitting.
Why The Fuss Over Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting, at its basic core, is the act by which employees do no more than the least of what their job description requires. This translates to slowed productivity, lack of efficiency, and general negativity that pervades the workplace.
Such behavior is often a symptom of demoralization and displeasure at work. People who feel this way will engage in quiet quitting. While they won’t leave the job right away, these people are prime for resignation sooner rather than later. Oftentimes, this is a quiet protest against things like:
- Poor management practices that include belittling and other negative/punitive behaviors toward underlings
- Not enough pay to equal the labor output
- Not enough recognition for completed tasks and duties
- Low workplace morale
- Treatment by superiors and coworkers as a “workhorse,” not as an individual
- Lack of acknowledgment and feeling undervalued
The best prevention for quiet quitting is to spot the problem before it starts. While this has always been an issue at many businesses for the last century, quiet quitting has become a serious problem post-pandemic.
In fact, estimates place the American workforce at 50% for this phenomenon.
Signs of Quiet Quitting At Work
Signs of quiet quitting are things like noticeable downturns in attitude, spreading negativity or being a chronic pessimist, negative feedback from customers or clients alike, lack of care for the job, and tardiness, among others.
Quiet quitters will take several angles to make a protest in lieu of their feelings and opinions about their job. Plus, not everyone will engage in behaviors that translate to quiet quitting.
For instance, negative customer feedback or arriving late doesn’t definitively equate to a quiet quitter.
Here are the common signs of quiet quitting any employee, manager, and supervisor can learn.
1. Noticeable Changes in Attitude
One of the biggest quiet signs you are quiet quitting is a noticeable downturn in attitude. As given in the example that began this article, some people love the idea of working for the company. But, as time rolls on and they feel slighted by the work environment in some way, their demeanor changes.
However, if someone has engaged in quiet quitting for a long time and then there’s an upswing in their attitude, this is also a sign that they’re about to leave the company altogether. So, it is advisable for managers and other types of supervisors to take note of a person’s behavior and general mood.
When there is a marked downturn, it’s a red flag to do something about it so you don’t lose productivity or have a high employee turnaround. The moment such an attitude rears its ugly head, it’s imperative to discover what this employee feels and why their demeanor has changed. Nipping quiet quitting in the bud is the best prevention.
2. Spreading Negative Energy; Chronic Pessimism
If the shift in an employee’s attitude continues, they are liable to spread negativity and take on a stance of chronic pessimism. They walk into work cranky and irritable, chewing out anyone who gets in their way. They speak negatively and abhorrently about the company, the management team, and coworkers.
Such toxic behavior displays a progression of quiet quitting that has already set in with this person. The worst thing management can do, however, is to institute reprimands and punishment. This is because they are already feeling badly toward the company and its staff in some way, shape, or form.
When management sees this manifest in the work environment, it’s imperative to have a genuine sit-down discussion.
None of the language management uses should be accusatory or criticizing in any way. Do not return their negativity in kind, it will only foster more negativity and this is what you’re trying to stop.
3. Negative Feedback from Coworkers; Customers/Clients
A ripple effect from someone with chronic pessimism is the feedback managers and supervisors receive from coworkers and customers/clients alike. This means an employee’s disengagement from their job is now affecting the company’s reputation and there is no reason to tolerate it. But, there are things management can do.
- First, it’s important to appease and rectify the problem toward the person lodging a complaint. Make sure they understand this isn’t the company’s position and that the company would never condone such behavior.
- Then, you should collect all the feedback about this particular employee and look for commonalities and patterns.
- Lastly, when you get a clear picture of what this person is doing, it’s time to call a meeting.
Once again, do not admonish or punish this person for their behavior just yet. Give them a clean slate after your initial discussion. Try to figure out where their head is at and treat them as you would a dear friend.
4. Refraining from Performing Certain Tasks
One of the biggest ways people engage in quiet quitting is in how they will do the bare minimum required of their job description. They are skirting by and not doing the little extras that they may have done at one time.
For instance, say you notice a sales associate beginning the path of quiet quitting. At first, they were friendly and outgoing, answering phones, folding disheveled garments, and greeting customers at the door. But, now they are very silent, just standing behind the register talking to coworkers and they barely answer the phone.
The management team should take note of this marked change in behavior. While a one-on-one discussion may not be necessary at first, it’s important to remedy the situation nonetheless. Creating a culture of fun and relaxation backed by productivity and infectious hard work may just do the trick.
5. Lack of Care for Their Job in General
Another aspect that often accompanies quiet quitting is a lack of care for the job in general. They are only there for the paycheck. Not only will these employees do just the minimum required, but they could have outright displays of disrespect for the company. Some ways to identify this are:
- They fail to complete opening and/or closing procedures in the proper way.
- They don’t keep their workspace clean, well-kept, and organized.
- They do not follow company policy and procedure with important operational tasks, preferring their own methods.
- They answer the phone with a negative or devil-may-care attitude.
- They are not helpful to customers or take a standoffish mindset with coworkers.
- They are wasteful with company spending or essential supplies that are necessary for daily operations.
Indeed, there are other ways to show a lack of care depending on the duties.
What compounds the frustration is that managers and supervisors cannot physically make someone do something against their will. Therefore, you have to build a culture that encourages performance combined with ambition.
6. Tardy Arrival; Early Departure from Work
While tardy arrival is not always a sign of a quiet quitter, it can be a symptom of it. Some people are just naturally late but they give their best performance when at work. However, if tardiness accompanies their noticeable change in behavior, this is a sure sign of a quiet quitter.
This is also true if the late arrival accompanies leaving early from their job. Doing this sends a clear message that the employee would rather be somewhere else than at work. This is not a good way to be and it’s up to management to handle the situation in an effective and thorough manner.
Here is where reprimands may be necessary to ensure this kind of thing doesn’t infect the rest of the staff. If others see this person coming and going as they please, it will begin something of a mutiny. Management cannot allow this to fester.
7. When the Quiet Quitting Continues Regardless of Previous Efforts
When all else fails and an employee engaged in quiet quitting will not change their attitude and/or behavior, this is when admonishments should commence. But, the reprimands taken should match the employee’s level of quiet quitting. If it’s in the beginning stages, there shouldn’t be a need for a reprimand.
However, when it becomes a repeated pattern, then they should also progress along with the employee’s behavior. For instance, let’s say you already had a one-on-one with the employee in question. But, they continue to do only the bare minimum for their job description and productivity is severely lacking.
Have another meeting with this person and convey a sense of disappointment. Remind the employee what they said in regard to their initial attitude and work ethic along with expectations. Then inform them that if they don’t start producing in an effective and efficient manner, you will dole out specific punishments.
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