Should Businesses Embrace Quiet Quitting?
Aug 15, 2022

​This new trend could transform work culture for good.


A new article from the Australian HR Institute argues that quiet quitting is “an opportunity to do better.” In this blog, we take a look at their advice for transforming work culture from within, but first, what is quiet quitting and should you be worried about it?

Contrary to its name, quiet quitting isn’t about quitting at all. It’s about keeping your head down and getting on with the job. The term “quiet quitting” comes from a US TikTok video and describes a worker who gets their duties done while rejecting “hustle culture” and the idea of “going above and beyond”. The idea is said to be inspired by the Chines concept of “lying flat” – a movement designed to rebel against long work hours.

So, should employers be worried? Aaron McEwan, VP, Research & Advisory, Gartner thinks not:

“Quiet quitting is just people saying, there’s more than life to work. Do I want to live or work?”

Reflecting on quiet quitting provides an opportunity for employers to completely reimagine how they approach work-life balance and how they measure what a “great” employee looks like. Here are some of the ways that employers can design “engaging and productive work cultures” according to the Australian HR Institute.

1. Reduce organisational drag


During the pandemic, employees picked up “discretionary tasks” as businesses scrambled to find new ways of working and many have never put them down. This extra and sometimes unrecognised work has left them exhausted. Workloads should now be reexamined to find out which tasks are adding value and to discover opportunities to increase meaningful labour. Some tasks may need to be cut altogether while others can be automated or made more efficient to ensure that work is purposeful and valuable – for both the individual and the company.

2. Reflect on social power


Millennials and Gen Z will soon make up the majority of the workforce. Although research has shown that millennials do sometimes overwork, this new combined demographic is more likely to challenge old ways of thinking and to do it socially. A light is being shone on work cultures and this can end badly for

companies that pressurise employees to overwork. If you don’t want your bad habits aired online, change them.

3. Give workers the resources they need


It’s tough to think innovatively or embrace meaningful work when you’re constantly drowning under your workload. Employers must give workers the tools and support they need to get tasks done effectively and efficiently inside working hours. Aaron McEwan says simply:

“It’s very hard to do your best work when you’re overworked, when you’re lacking sleep and when you’re unhealthy.”

Businesses should assess their current state to find opportunities to improve.

4. Make work exciting


Boring work = disengaged employees. Of course, not every job can be exciting all of the time – in fact, that would be exhausting in itself. But providing opportunities to practice and grow new skills and enjoy new experiences can be a good way to keep a role fresh and engaging for workers at all levels.

5. Rethink incentives


If you want employees to go beyond the boundaries of a role, you have to reward them. As economic challenges see people and businesses everywhere feeling the squeeze, many workers have not had a pay rise, promotion, or reward in many years. It’s little wonder that they don’t want to continue to deliver more when they feel they are not recognised or rewarded for their efforts. Even if financial rewards are off the table, non-monetary compensation can have a positive effect on employee engagement – from training and development opportunities to extra time away from the office.

Work is changing and employees are asking for more from their bosses. Are you prepared to face quiet quitting? And what will you do to make sure workers feel engaged and appreciated in a shifting financial and social climate?

14 Aug, 2023
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10 Aug, 2023
You’ve seen these guys before when a circus came to your city or maybe on TV. They walk on a wire at an impressive height, sometimes without insurance, sometimes with a long stick that probes the void right and left. They walk slowly, trying the wire with their toes first, making small steps, their eyes fixed on the small platform where they plan to land soon. They never watch down. They don’t listen to an audience that applauses or gasps in awe. They are concentrated on keeping their balance. To keep balance. Let’s come down from the wire above the arena or stage. Let’s look closer at balance, where it has its roots and the secrets of keeping it. Is it an art? Or is it a skill? Can you learn to keep balance? Or is it an innate skill that only gymnasts, figure skaters, circus artists and ballet dancers are born with? Want to know the secrets of a ballerina that must perform 32 fouettes, a complex ballet movement that requires turning 360 degrees at a high-speed standing on the point of a ballet shoe? First, keeping balance is a skill people must learn for years. In ballet, sport, circus, real life, and… work life. A ballerina is taught to pick one point and to fix her eyes on it when she makes her 32 fouettes, a complex ballet movement that requires turning 360 degrees at high-speed standing on the point of a ballet shoe. She focuses on one thing that keeps her upright. She doesn’t look anywhere else. Gymnasts in some disciplines are constantly trained to feel the bar under their feet. They are prepared to land precisely on the bar after they jump, and the incredible contortions we admire in competitions. But let’s come back to the circus artists we have begun with. Often, they have a long stick in their hands to keep their balance. Is their secret hidden in the stick? And what is the secret? You don’t need to be a ballet dancer, a gymnast, or a circus artist to get the idea of balance. Here are your first two steps in your balance training: 1. Keep your main priorities in mind. And have a clear idea about what is very important for you and where you are ready to compromise. But don’t listen to external opinions that don’t align with your ideals. Forget about the audience’s applause – focus on you. 2. Use some help to stay upright and get to your goals. Imagine your life split on two ends of the helping stick, your job is on one end, and your private life is on another. How comfortable do you feel at your height now with the load on both ends? You need support. We at Kelly pay a lot of attention to balance. The balance between people’s private lives and their jobs. The balance between feeling appreciated and professional goals or between achieving extraordinary results and being inspired. Talk to Kelly today. We are not ballet coaches or sports trainers, but we know much about how important work/life balance is in our lives.
03 Aug, 2023
We often associate certain qualities with individuals who seem to possess a natural talent for creativity. We convince ourselves that painting, singing, or dancing are pursuits reserved for these "real" artists while we remain mere spectators. Creativity? Inspiration? No, it's not about me.
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