Quiet Quitting Remains On The Increase
A new report just released by Ivanti, entitled '2023 Report: Elevating the Future of Everywhere Work', has revealed that in terms of the under 40's, 1 in 3 confess to having succumbed to quiet quitting.
Quiet quitting is where an employee just does their job for the salary, but devoid of any actual engagement. That is, the employee just does the bare minimum to get by, without going above and beyond what is required to progress their career (e.g. refusing to take on unpaid overtime).
The report also found the following:-
- Whilst 71% of employees would like a hybrid working arrangement of their choosing, just 43% of employees are granted the same, a gap of 28%. That gap narrows to 13% for IT professionals and 12% for executives
- A quarter of under 40's are contemplating leaving their current job at some point in the next 6 months. Reasons include burnout relating to an excessive workload (35%), work related stress (35%), and seeking a higher salary (33%)
- Whilst 71% of employers are of the view that hybrid working improves staff morale, 66% of employees state that in tems of their experience of hybrid working their has been no downside. Moreover, just 2% of employees held any concerns that they may have been passed over for promotion on account of their hybrid working arrangement. Nevertheless, just 8.9% of employees would take a paycut in return for a hybrid working arrangement
The findings of the Ivanti report build upon and support the findings of other recent research upon the phenomenon of quiet quitting. A report released by BetterUp back in December 2022, for instance, found that that a third of UK workers describe themselves as in quiet quitting mode, and that whilst these workers are 24% less likely to suffer burnout and 26% better at managing stress than those who describe themselves as workaholics, they are 13% less likely to develop and progress in their roles compared to workaholics
Moreover, Research by Gallup published in January this year in relation to US workers, found that the number of employees who described themselves as engaged in their work had fallen from 34% in 2021, to just 32% in 2022. Furthermore, the 2022 figure is down 4% compared to 2020 (i.e. 36%). The Gallup research also found that the largest increase in quiet quitting took place amongst those workers who were in remote-ready jobs, but who were obliged to work full time in the office, thereby highlighting the importance of hybrid working arrangements in maintaining employee engagement and morale.
Commenting upon the quiet quitting findings, the CEO at Ivanti, Jeff Abbott, stated: "When it comes to how and where employees work – leaders who do not embrace and enable flexibility where they can – also risk not reaping the benefits of a more engaged, more productive workforce....Attracting and retaining the very best talent will always be an executive priority, but the organizations that embrace an Everywhere Work mindset – and supporting tech stack – will have a sustainable competitive advantage. There has been a seismic shift in how and where employees expect to get work done and it's imperative for leaders to break down culture and tech barriers to enable it."
A Four-Day Week Would Have A Positive Impact On Volunteering
New research from Hays has revealed that 21% of those employees who were asked how they would make use of an extra day off work if they were to move onto a four-day working week arrangement, would take the opportunity to undertake some volunteering work.
The survey also found that 93% of those who responded believed that a move to a four-day week was a good idea.
In terms of the findings on volunteering, the director at Hays, Karen Young, stated: "Although a wider roll out of the four-day week is still up for debate, it’s encouraging to see the clear appetite from staff with regards to spending more time volunteering....[V]olunteering can.....have positive benefits for sustainability. On top of this, volunteering is personally rewarding and can create a sense of belonging and wider purpose which could, in turn, benefit employee wellbeing and mental health."
