With a skilled labour shortage currently impacting many businesses, including hair and beauty, it’s never been more pertinent to retain staff. While not a new challenge for businesses, the term ‘quiet quitting‘ is making headlines again as increasingly more employees reject the hustle culture and set job boundaries.

Years of minimal wage growth, compounded by significant changes to the traditional workplace due to the pandemic, is further driving the trend. The pandemic not only disrupted everyone’s lives with restrictions and forced closures for non-essential businesses; it also made many rethink their career choices, leading to a phenomenon dubbed the Great Resignation.

What is ‘quiet quitting’?

Quiet quitting doesn’t mean an employee has left their job, but rather has limited their tasks to those strictly within their job description to avoid working longer hours. They want to do the bare minimum to get the job done and set clearer boundaries between work and home life. While quiet quitters will continue to fulfil their primary obligations, they’re less receptive to engaging in activities beyond this like non-mandatory meetings, extended hours or events outside of work hours.

Industries across the board are noticing this shift in mentality. While rejecting a ‘work is life’ culture in favour of a more balanced approach is fundamentally a good thing, it could also be a sign that an employee is not happy in their position or is experiencing burnout. It may also signal they are ready to change positions or may be currently looking for another job.

How can businesses reduce incidences of ‘quiet quitting’?

Listen!

The biggest way to prevent disengagement is to establish open and honest lines of communication. Talk to employees, gather their feedback and discuss what can be done to make them feel appreciated. This helps foster opportunities for feedback too.

Make time a priority

If the “less is more” movement is about creating more space for a personal life, then this goal is best achieved when management uses time more efficiently, according to entrepreneur.com. Leaders can value their employees’ time by scaling back on large-scale meetings and provide tools for better time management to help employee productivity and maximise workflow. Employees will feel their time is respected and want to contribute more.

Set realistic expectations

Next, make sure workloads are realistic and that there are appropriate boundaries to maintain a work-life balance.

Encourage further training

Employees who want more from their job often complain they lack career progression opportunities or the time to pursue these. By making further training more accessible not only be more satisfied but more valuable to you.

Improve company culture

Making mental health a top priority is key to improving your workplace’s culture. Alongside regular informal check-ins, below are a few ways to improve this;

1. Set clear objectives to guide employee performance.
2. Make sure employees understand the businesses’ long-term goals.
3. Establish diversity initiatives and promote inclusive practices.
4. Encourage transparency and open communication among department heads, management and team members.
5. Let every employee have a seat at the table and empower them to share their thoughts.
6. Create opportunities for employees to get to know one another at work and outside of work to foster meaningful relationships.

Want more ProCollective?

• For more news and updates, subscribe to our weekly newsletter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Like us on Facebook