Quiet Quitting And Resenteeism On The Increase
New research from BetterUp and others has found that the phenomenon of 'quiet quitting' remains on the increase, but is gradually mutating into what has become known as 'resenteeism'.
Quiet quitting is the phenomenon of just doing your 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 ones career (e.g. refusing to take on unpaid overtime). In contrast, resenteeism is where workers stay in their job, despite their discontent with it, due to the economic downturn and the lack of alternative jobs. However, what sets resentees apart is that they are more open with their disenchantment.
New Research
In their new research, BetterUp found 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
Research by Gallup in relation to US workers found that quiet quitting remains on the increase with the number of employees who described themselves as engaged in their work down from 34% last year to just 32% this year. The number is down 4%, compared to 2 years ago (i.e. 36%). Moreover, 18% of workers described themselves as 'actively disengaged'.
One of the main findings from the Gallup survey was 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. There was an increase of 5% in quiet quitting in this group, with an increase of 7% in active disengagement. These results indicate that one way for employers to look at increasing engagement / reducing quiet quitting, would be to look at allowing more flexible / remote working.
Quiet Quitting Mutating Into Resenteeism
Nevertheless, another key finding from the recent research is that the economic downturn over the last year has witnessed quiet quitting mutating to some extent into resenteeism.
According to the head of people at RotaCloud, Pam Hinds, given the economic downturn and the cost of living crisis, "employees that feel undervalued, under appreciated, and worried about their futures are never going to be happy in their jobs, and the rise in resenteeism, while worrying, isn’t unexpected."
Moreover, writing for Business Insider, Jason Lalljee contends that the backdrop of a looming recession means that workers "might be approaching work with a different attitude, especially if they think they have fewer options if they quit. That's in strong contrast with the workplace liberation people experienced at the height of the Great Resignation as employers clamored to attract workers...But if you think you're in a recession — or in danger of one — that might lead you to hedge your bets."
Cost of Living Crisis: Delayed Retirement
New research from My Pension Expert has found that 26% of those aged over 55 believe that they will likely be working into their 70's, with 44% stating that retirement is not possible due to the cost of living crisis. Indeed, 37% stated that their retirement plans had been direcetly and adversely impacted by the cost of living crisis.
In response to the findings, the CEO of My Pension Expert, Andrew Megson, stated: "The cost-of-living crisis is squeezing people’s finances and derailing their long-term plans. Many believe decisions around retirement are now out of their hands. Worryingly, though, not nearly enough is being done to boost pension engagement or access to independent advice, both of which would give Britons the tools to effectively plan for a secure, stable, financially viable retirement. No one should feel pressured to delay retirement, nor return to employment after decades of hard work and diligent saving."
