THOUGHT LEADER

THOUGHT LEADER

Inoculating Your Workforce Against Quiet Quitting

Staffing exe Melanie Shaffe says a focus on talent acquisition and retention is, and always will be, the antidote to employee disengagement.

JUAN MOYANO

Quiet quitting is the topic du jour in business circles, another fallout from the Covid era, according to experts. 1. FEED YOUR TEAM’S NEEDS BY ASKING QUESTIONS. Although current events and market forces are ever-changing, the solution to finding an keeping the best talent is the same as it has always been. Those who PHOTOGRAPHY BY America’s workers are burned out by excessive workloads, ask the right questions unclear expectations, and lack of leadership support. After and invest the time into nearly 20 years in recruiting and talent strategy, I can conunderstanding their firm that the quiet quitting concept is not new—it just has fresh branding. Gallup research shows that for at least the last decade, just 35 percent of workers have been truly engaged and driven by their work. This means almost two-thirds of your workforce is at risk of either leaving altogether or underperforming. But this doesn’t have to be a doomsday prediction for your company. Instead, you can turn it into an opportunity. In my years of consulting, I’ve observed that many leaders don’t take the time to truly get to know their employees. When you make talent acquisition and retention your top strategic priority, you can inoculate your company against many of the market forces that come and go. Here are three tips to get started:

employees will continue to succeed. We can’t assume our employees will share their needs and goals with us. As leaders, we must prioritize regular check-ins with our teams and ask them meaningful questions like, “What are the current roadblocks to your success at work?” and “Looking ahead, what are your goals for yourself in this current role?”

2.

TAKE PULSE SURVEYS OFTEN AND QUICKLY SHARE RESULTS.

We’ve all worked for the employer who sends out a detailed annual survey, the results of which disappear. The pulse survey is more timely and practical. Consider sending out three to fie questions to all employees once per quarter. Be sure to share the results, plus your plan to address concerns, right away. When employees feel heard and seen, they are more willing to stick around during challenges.

3.

CONNECT INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO COMPANY GOALS.

Employees need to know how their work fits ino the goals of the broader organization. Younger workers especially want to believe that their work matters. Effective communication is key. Leadership and communication training can help managers translate big-picture goals down to how each worker helps achieve those goals. This is especally important for employees whose work is overly challenging or monotonous.

Melanie Shaffer is the founder and president of Talent Suite, a Richardson-based talent consulting firm

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