One topic that has been trending among human resource circles lately is ‘quiet quitting’. This is when employers perform only the bare minimum of their roles. They don’t leave their position but they put in no more effort, energy, or time than is necessary to earn their salary.

Common quiet quitting reasons

According to a survey by Gallup, only 29% of millennials are engaged at their jobs, which means only three out of ten have a mental and emotional connection to their role and employers. Meanwhile, 16% of millennials are actively disengaged or are out to bring harm to their companies.

The rest of the millennials surveyed—55% of the total—report that they are not engaged whatsoever. What this means is that they have the lowest engagement at work compared to other generations. This has led many organisations to wonder about typical quiet quitting reasons, such as:

• Having differing values or purpose from the organisation they work for
• Feeling like they are not appreciated or valued by their employer
• Failing to receive fair compensation for the work they’re doing
• Lacking support for their financial and mental health
• Being in a toxic work environment especially as a remote assistant
• Being overwhelmed by the amount of responsibilities they have
• Feeling like nobody listens to their opinions or ideas
• Going through an experience of burnout or great stress
• Lacking the opportunity to be flexible with their work arrangement
• Being assigned to duties that are not in their original job description
• Having their work and personal boundaries constantly disregarded
• Failing to communicate their needs or concerns to their peers or superiors

Typical quiet quitting signs

Some businesses question if quiet quitting is even real or if it’s just a new name for employee dissatisfaction. Either way, it became highly-publicised around the early 2020s thanks largely to social media. In case you’re wondering if it’s present in your organisation, check your workers for these signs:

• They have become combative when they used to be cooperative
• They are distancing themselves from their colleagues or bosses
• They stopped volunteering themselves for new projects or tasks
• They are taking longer to answer messages or emails from you
• They have been requesting a lot of time off lately
• They are submitting work that is of sub-par quality
• They fail to meet their monthly quotas or metrics anymore

Combat quiet quitting: How?

There have been mixed reactions amongst managers towards this trend. A few have been understanding because of the pandemic and tight labour market. Others have decided to turn to ‘quiet firing’, which is when managers make a hostile work environment so people are compelled to leave.

While quiet firing might sound like a good idea as an employer, it’s not the answer when you want to properly deal with or prevent quiet quitting. If you bothered with hiring remote employees in other states, make the effort to keep your staff for the long run through these tips:

1. Provide them with fair compensation

Sometimes, it’s not that people aren’t willing to go beyond the extra mile but rather they feel that the salary isn’t worth the trouble. It’s important that you keep their pay competitive with current market rates and living standards. You may also offer non-monetary rewards like paid leave credits or new equipment.

2. Listen to their issues and concerns

Maybe your remote staff in the Philippines expressed their concerns about your operations yet you failed to resolve or even acknowledge these issues. Since they see that you aren’t taking actions, they respond by not taking any action too. Take the time to validate any of their experiences and feelings always.

3. Be transparent with your expectations

You’ll notice that many quiet quitters complain about doing more than what they were hired to do. It’s inevitable that roles will evolve and include more tasks with time but this may be off-putting for those who don’t understand these changes. Be sure to inform new hires about the responsibilities expanding as they grow into it.

4. Build a relationship with your employees

Bridge the gap between you and your workers, especially if you’re managing a virtual personal assistance team. By making your members aware that you’re human like them, they may feel a stronger sense of commitment to your organisation. This will find it easier to approach you regarding any issues so you may resolve them earlier.

5. Support their physical and mental health

A lot of employees protect themselves from potential harm by pulling back from their roles. One way to prevent this is by prioritising their needs, be it emotional, mental, or physical. Give them a safe space to perform their tasks and maximise their abilities as well as encourage them to take care of their well-being.

6. Make career changes an option

Every onsite or remote assistant must decide for themselves what they want to do with their careers. Never assume that they want to face new challenges or move up the corporate ladder, but ask them their plans instead. Offer them alternative opportunities rather than force leadership responsibilities onto them.

7. Recognise them and their work

Another reason that that someone might quietly quit is that they are unnoticed and under-appreciated. Combat this mindset by creating a reward program for acknowledging your workers. When they become visible to the rest of the company, it’s harder for them to simply fade into the background later on.

Hire remote staff for your company

It’s better to prevent quiet quitting than to get rid of it when it’s already taken root in your organisation. As a bonus point to combat quiet quitting, consider recruiting remote staff in the Philippines who know how to stay enthusiastic even in a virtual work environment.

It’s a good idea to hire through a remote personal assistants agency like us here at Remote Workmate. Our talent pool makes it easy to hire remote staff who meet the requirements of your business. We also perform initial screenings for more candidates should the need arise.