Silent Quitting is among the most important concepts that have recently increased in popularity in the discipline of organizational behavior. The concept of silent Quitting does not mean quitting the job, but is defined as the process of taking less responsibility at work and performing at a minimum level without disrupting the job. In other words, it can be described as a silent manifesto against the “hustle culture” in which employees are expected to sacrifice their personal time, health and happiness to show their commitment to their jobs. The aim of this study is to base the story of the emergence of the concept of silent Quitting and to address the consequences that it will cause for employees and organizations in terms of its possible effects. However, it is to encourage in-depth thinking about the paradigm shift experienced in business life after the pandemic and to offer suggestions for preventing such organizational upheavals that may occur in the future. The concept has been flashed on social media and mostly studied in digital media.
On the academic level, there has been no empirical study on the cognitive, affective or behavioral dimensions related to the silent Quitting process of employees. Therefore, this research is a descriptive study in which a limited number of resources related to the concept are examined and an attempt is made to make a holistic assessment. With the increase in studies in which the theoretical foundations of the silent Quitting process are explained and supported by experimental studies, it will become easier for it to be accepted academically. It is thought that this study will also be a resource for future research and may be a tool to ensure that the silent cries of employees are heard against the top management of organizations.
Silent Quitting Prevention
It is much easier to Silent Quitting Prevention than to re-motivate an employee who is already in silent Quitting mode against his position within the company or to try to restore his commitment to the company. Therefore, being aware of silent Quitting allows us to prevent a serious loss of time, effort and motivation both from the point of view of companies, human resources management, and employees. It would not be correct to evaluate the development of measures by human resources to prevent silent Quitting as a unilateral gain aimed only at increasing company profits or obtaining the highest efficiency from the employee. Because the positive outcomes of a human resources management that is aware of the potential of silent Quitting, all the positive approaches that it will develop in this context, as well as for employees, mean achieving extremely important and permanent gains in the short and long term.
Employee retention strategies
You can find our silent Quitting solution suggestions that can be applied by institutions below:
- Listen to Your Employees
Employers, managers and other officials should actually perceive the silent Quitting as a negative feedback. If your employees are in the process of Silent Quitting, then there is a problem
The first step in being able to offer employees what they want and deserve and creating a successful and healthy working environment is to listen to the employees themselves. Boosting employee morale is very important at this stage.
Since when has their interest in the company been decreasing? In which areas are they having difficulties or problems? What steps can managers take to help this situation?
By asking such questions, you can better understand the wishes and needs of your employees and start the process of preventing silent Quitting in a more knowledgeable way.
- Create a Supportive Work Culture
When employees feel important, their loyalty also increases when they know that they are valued as an individual. For this also:
To create a space where employees will feel comfortable to tell the authorities when they have problems and believe that a solution can be found,
To recognize, appreciate and reward personal achievements,
By taking steps such as following a zero tolerance policy against situations such as discrimination, harassment and mobbing, attaching importance to creating an egalitarian and inclusive business environment, you can guarantee that your business culture will be safer for everyone.
- Offer Fair and Comprehensive Opportunities
Finally, we recommend that you reconsider what you offer to employees. With a sufficient amount of salary and holidays, flexibility in working hours, remote working opportunities, educational support, you can contribute to making employees feel better in the company. We can say that reducing turnover rates is another way to prevent this.
Why Has Silent Quitting Become Widespread?
One of the important hidden reasons for silent Quitting from the point of view of employees seems to be unemployment. If there is no unemployment, perhaps instead of reducing their potential or retreating in their working life, qualified and highly motivated employees who might be inclined to change companies/ jobs are deliberately or unknowingly turning to silent Quitting.
The main reasons that trigger Silent Quitting from the point of view of companies and human resources were answered in detail in our previous article on the subject under the search heading “Reasons That Push Employees to Silent Quitting”. But before discussing the solution proposals, it is worth remembering the important effects that hiring the right person in the right position has in terms of preventing the possibility of silent Quitting from the recruitment processes.
The inability of the employee who is not hired in the right position to reveal his talents and professional experience in the way he wants, the inability to achieve the success he expects from his studies and, accordingly, the dissatisfaction with his performance increases the tendency to Silent Quitting.
Therefore, from the point of view of companies, we can say that there is a strong link between the successful management of recruitment processes and the hiring or inability to hire the appropriate person in the most appropriate position and the spread of silent Quitting.
