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MIT Sloan Management Review: Five Ways Managers Can Help Prevent Quiet Quitting

27 Sep 2022
Researchers discuss the factors underlying employee disengagement, and what managers can do to help restore people’s commitment to their work.

Originally found at MIT Sloan Management Review.

 

By now, you’re likely acquainted with the term quiet quitting. Informally defined in a 17-second TikTok video by user Zaid Khan, quiet quitting refers to restricting efforts at work and not going above and beyond one’s job duties. The video quickly launched the term into the business zeitgeist — where it’s found surprising staying power.

I’ll admit that when any trend or meme takes hold like this, I’m always a bit skeptical. And I’m not alone; much of the pushback on quiet quitting has boiled down to “What’s new about this?” After all, people have always coasted at work. But the flurry of debate speaks to the fact that this idea — whether we agree with its label or whether it’s new — is resonating with people at a time when the power dynamic between employee and employer is shifting.

With this in mind, I reached out to researchers who study organizational behavior, leadership, and employee engagement and performance to get their input on what it means that employees are choosing to limit extra-role behaviors, and effective ways managers can create a work environment where employees want to engage.



Continue reading the original article at MIT Sloan Management Review.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Review.

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