Quiet quitting. What began as a viral video has become one of the most talked about (and written about) topics this year. Is it a valid phenomenon, or is it nothing more than catchy clickbait? To a certain degree, the answer to that question does not matter. Rather than debating the significance of the symptoms, this is an opportunity for leaders to proactively address the more important matter: the cause. While many organizations excel in the areas of employee engagement and retention, the tenor in the marketplace (and perhaps why the original video gained so much traction) is that this is the exception – not the rule. The symptoms indicate that something has shifted; the cause of that shift deserves a discussion.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s New?<\/strong><\/p>\n In the video \u2013 which has over 3.5 million views \u2013 24-year-old TikToker Zaid Khan (@zaidlepplin) states that \u201cwork is not your life.\u201d This is not a new concept. But assuming that work is a requisite part of life, to view the act of employment simply as a means to an end overlooks the opportunity that purposeful, gratifying, challenging work can provide. When given a choice to do the bare minimum necessary to stay employed, or proactively constructing a professional environment that provides meaning, which would most choose? The latter is the obvious choice, but is easier said than done. And although the need for professional fulfillment is nothing new, the external factors have changed:<\/p>\n Uncovering the Cause<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is your why?\u201d It sounds like an esoteric question, but why is it that you choose to go to work each day? Why do you choose this profession, instead of something else? Why do you choose the role you are in, as opposed to others?<\/p>\n Encourage yourself and others to press beyond the obvious answer of \u201cI need to make money.\u201d\u00a0 There are countless ways to earn a living; why have you chosen this one?<\/p>\n Incorporate The Five Whys, which originated within the Toyota Production System and are an integral part of Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen, and Six Sigma. Taiichi Ohno saw the Five Whys as an especially important part of Toyota’s overall philosophy. The process is simple: Just ask why five times in succession to get to the true root cause of the problem. This is a remarkably simple process, but more often than not, we stop at the very first “why” and try to do something about the symptoms rather than getting to the true root causes.<\/p>\n Once you begin to list all of your whys, you will notice they fall in two categories. The first category is similar to Maslow\u2019s lowest hierarchy of needs \u2013 food, water, shelter. \u201cI\u2019d like to be able to pay my mortgage.\u201d \u201cI want to send my children to college.\u201d \u201cMy elderly parents will rely on me to provide for them.\u201d \u201cI have always dreamed of buying a vacation home.\u201d<\/p>\n The second category recognizes that there is a bigger purpose, a desire to make a difference, and a need to higher meaning behind the choices we make. Both categories are important and not mutually exclusive. An individual who only cares about money will likely live with a void in their life, while an individual who is all about the big picture has their head in the clouds but lacks feet on the ground.<\/p>\n Treatment Options<\/strong><\/p>\n Quiet quitting isn\u2019t new. It\u2019s a new twist on an old problem. But, it has captured people\u2019s attention. As leaders, it\u2019s on us to address it.<\/p>\n \u2014Karen Schmidt<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Quiet quitting. What began as a viral video has become one of the most talked about (and written about) topics this year. Is it a valid phenomenon, or is it nothing more than catchy clickbait? To a certain degree, the answer to that question does not matter. Rather than debating the significance of the symptoms, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[7,9],"class_list":["post-4039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sra-updates","tag-sanford-rose-associates-best-practices","tag-sra-update"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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