Quiet Quitting Or Finding Balance? Fostering Well-Being At Work Through Inclusion

In 2022, the term ‘quiet quitting’ began to build notoriety. Now, two years later, have there been any changes to work-life rhythm in the channel?

A 2022 NPR article pointed to a change in the global workplace. “Quiet quitting” is a term that is growing in popularity, pointing to a less engaged workforce with a desire to close their laptops at 5 p.m., engage in the lives of their children and have a job that complements their life rather than a life that complements their job. It begs the question: What is at the core of quiet quitting? Is it an apathetic employee culture or simply a request for healthy balance?

As we continue to build a post-global pandemic and post-vaccination world, some older generational leaders struggle to understand how the new world of work has impacted the overall well-being of workers everywhere. Employees report higher stress, more demands and working longer hours. In addition, rising housing and child care costs point to increased stressors in employees' lives. This is especially true for those from under-represented groups, many of which have been significantly hit by job loss. Between February 2020 and February 2021, for example, 2.4 million women (about the population of Kansas) exited the workforce, which account for 63 percent of all jobs lost. In addition, Black and Latinx women accounted for half of the total decrease for women in the workforce.

So how do inclusive leaders address these requests for increased work-life balance? Because well-being is key to ensuring employees stay engaged and do their best work, employers have a responsibility to instill rhythm into work cultures. By structurally increasing space for workers’ emotional, mental, financial health and well-being, we can shift and reset the expectations of the workforce and those who lead them. We encourage you to address the intersection between well-being and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB), and to focus on building programs and initiatives that do the same.

Here are a few ways to get started:

• Support worker self-esteem. Organizational leadership celebrating and placing value on employees’ expressions of uniqueness while at work are good places to start, as inclusive workplaces can foster belonging. Supporting worker self-esteem and positive self-concept can go further, however. Inclusive leaders ensure that feedback is timely and frequent, not waiting until a formal performance review processes on employee successes, strengths and areas of growth. Knowing where one fits into the organizational goals and future development encourages esteem growth and increases employee engagement.
• Monitor the impact of heavy workloads. Today’s expectations are sky-high compared with previous generations. There are more role-related responsibilities and demands for higher productivity, combined with fears of job insecurity and less recognition for work well done due to employees working remotely. Increased job demands can spike stress and decrease opportunities for rest, both of which can contribute to more hostile work environments, greater chances of burnout and lower self-esteem. To combat these negative effects and promote stronger well-being, embrace ways to improve work-life balance, such as introducing more flexibility around when and where work can be done.
• Form an employee resource group (ERG) that’s focused on well-being. There are many topic areas that can be addressed in an ERG whose mission is to improve worker health and happiness. Mental health and mindfulness, body movement and support for caregivers are examples of only a few. But the key to successful well-being ERGs is to ensure the best-possible fit: Use internal surveys to personalize the types of groups created to ensure they best support employees’ needs. Not able to build an ERG on your own? Join the Inclusive Leadership Network sponsored by CRN parent The Channel Company. This is an ideal way to foster connections between employees with similar skill sets.

As inclusive leaders, we must call into question the term “quiet quitting,” seeking to understand how employees’ mindsets can help improve their engagement and justify more investment into their engagement. Doing things as they’ve always been done is proving not to be effective. Keeping the next generation of workers engaged will set apart those who seek to remain profitable and those who do not. Understanding the mindset of “quiet quitters” is essential to business survival. At the end of the day, we all want happy productive lives full of well-being.

Resources and Recommended Reading

• Culture Plus Consulting, “How Does Employee Well-being Link to Diversity and Inclusion?” website accessed August 2022.
• Forbes, “The Key To Employee Well-Being: Start With Inclusion,” June 2021.
• Harvard Business Review, “Supporting the Well-Being of Your Underrepresented Employees,” March 2022.
• National Public Radio, “What is 'Quiet Quitting,' and How It May Be a Misnomer for Setting Boundaries at Work,” August 2022.
• Pew Research Center, “U.S. Labor Market Inches Back From the COVID-19 Shock, but Recovery Is Far from Complete,” April 2021.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash