Fresno State’s business school on stemming ‘quiet quitting’ trend
“The ultimate resource in economic development is people. It is people, not capital or raw materials that develop an economy.” — Peter Drucker People are always the key. That is why employee turnover is such an important problem. But what happens if employees do not actually quit, but instead begin to do the minimum, or simply stop doing the “little things” that are so important for success?
We call this “quiet quitting.” According to professors Anthony Klotz and Mark Bolino in a Harvard Business Review article: “Quiet quitters continue to fulfill their primary responsibilities, but they are less willing to engage in citizenship behaviors, no more staying late, showing up early, or attending non-mandatory meetings.” A quiet quitter stops helping others, suggesting ways to make improvements or doing other little things that add so much value to every organization. Literally, they are not fully engaged in their jobs.
Is quiet quitting an economic threat? Gallup thinks so. In its annual poll of employees, Gallup found that approximately 50% of employees are “quiet quitters.” During the pandemic, this number grew, and remains a threat because most jobs today require some level of extra effort to collaborate with co-workers and meet customer needs. Gallup estimates that the overall cost of quiet quitting is $8.8 trillion or about 9% of the global economy.
Is our local economy an exception to those results? Not likely. Imagine, then, how much economic value could be added if we could identify ways to increase worker engagement. What an opportunity if we can just understand what is required.
Most experts believe there is a clear answer to that question: change the way people are managed. In the words of management experts: “There are no bad employees, there are only bad managers.” Intuitively we know this, and substantial research supports that conclusion as well.
This is well and good, but how can “bad” managers become “good” managers? Recent research at the CSU Fresno, Craig School of Business provides a clue: Management needs to learn to address employees’ psychological needs.
Some needs are obvious, such as the need for shelter or to feel safe. Others are more subtle but important. Among these are three basics: the needs for autonomy (the feeling that one has choice), competence (the experience of mastery and being effective), and relatedness (the need to feel connected and belonging with others). These needs come from an important model of human motivation, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), developed by psychologists Richard Ryan and Edward Deci.
For people sent home during the pandemic, our research demonstrated a direct connection between a decline in the satisfaction of employees’ basic psychological needs and a decline in their level of work engagement. Obviously satisfying those needs is key.
What can managers do to help satisfy these basic needs? Beyond providing a good paycheck, they can learn to engage in simple, but effective, behaviors in their day-to-day interaction with their teams.:
Recognize competence. Thank and praise people for a job well done. Make the most of individuals’ skills through delegation.
Grant autonomy. Focus on the goal to be achieved and let employees decide — or at least give them a voice in — how to get there. Give front-line workers discretion over appropriate decisions.
Build connections. Set up regular meetings at the beginning of each day or shift and allow time for socializing.
Instill meaning. Explain the why as well as the what.
Learning how to do this will help grow our economy sustainability and increase a sense of wellbeing for all.
Dr. Larry M. King is on the faculty of the Craig School of Business at Fresno State.