You may have heard the term ‘quiet quitting’ being bandied about recently and wondered what it is. Our Employee Benefits Consultant, Naomi Eaddy discusses this new concept below and how it impacts you, the employer and your most valuable asset, your people.
The Lowdown on Quiet Quitting
Despite the name, ‘quiet quitting’ has nothing to do with your employees quitting their jobs, but rather doing only what their job demands and nothing more.
Someone who is ‘quiet quitting’ still shows up for work, but spends their days strictly within the boundaries of their job requirements. They won’t put themselves forward to help with additional tasks or check emails outside of working hours, for example.
The Rise of Quiet Quitting
The use of the term gained popularity in mid-2022 following a viral TikTok video where the creator said “work is not your life”. However, the origins of the movement could stem back to China where the now censored hashtag #tanping (meaning ‘lie flat’) was used to protest against the country’s culture of long working hours.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, workers have grown tired of not receiving the recognition and compensation for working extra hours than they are contracted to. For quite some time, society has become increasingly aware of burnout and its negative impact on personal health and wellbeing. ‘Quiet quitting’ is another step in the direction of a culture that is prioritising work-life balance.
Quiet Quitting Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing
Despite its negative connotations, there are several benefits to ‘quiet quitting’, including:
- More free time
- Less stress
- Better work-life balance
- Improved mental health
Ensuring your employees have a healthy work-life balance and are able to separate their working and personal lives will mean that they are more likely to be happier when they come to work. It will reduce stress and the chances of burnout, helping them to stay healthy, which in turn will boost their productivity and improve the odds of you retaining them for a long time.
How Can You Support Employee Wellbeing
Your employees are vital to the success of your business, therefore it’s important that you look after them. Particularly in today’s challenging and unpredictable environment, it’s crucial that you put the wellbeing of your employees at the forefront of business operations.
By doing this, you could eliminate the need for your employees to ‘quiet quit’ altogether. A few ways you can do this include:
- Offering flexible working hours and arrangements
- Creating employee-centred wellbeing policies
- Encouraging your employees to switch off outside of working hours
- Ensuring your business has good people and resource management
Having a flexible, reliable, thoughtfully communicated employee benefits programme improves working life for both the employee and employer. Raising the profile of wellbeing can improve productivity, support brand building, aid recruitment and ultimately boost profits.
Employee benefits have modernised significantly in recent years and many employers are taking advantage of this, adopting a flexible approach to improving wellbeing in the workplace.
Regardless of the nature of your business and whether your employees work remotely, in an office space, outdoors or on-site, having a suitable support mechanism to improve healthcare accessibility, pension advice and workplace communications will make people feel valued.
Can We Help?
If you need advice or have any questions about the above, please contact Naomi Eaddy, Employee Benefits Consultant at Thomas Carroll today on 02920 858612 or at eb@thomas-carroll.co.uk.
