Quiet Quitting Could Be a Healthy Shift!

We should stop sensationalizing legitimate choices

Gallup recently published a dramatic headline: “Quiet quitters” make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce – probably more, Gallup finds. Quiet Quitting is generally defined as people “holding back” extra effort. Sometimes this is called “discretionary effort”. Gallup has a simplistic way of categorizing employee engagement: engaged, disengaged, actively disengaged. With such broad categories, it is easy to make such statements as above. At Spark’d, our research defines one of our eight, well-defined, states of engagement as Neutral. Neutral is described as follows:

“In this state, you likely find your work somewhat challenging and somewhat fulfilling. Your score indicates that your sense of meaning and progress are moderate, neither high nor low. You get your work done and take things in stride; in other words, you tend not to get too worked up about things.”

What percentage of our global database is Neutral? Precisely 30%. Are these folks Quiet Quitters? This is a term intended to sensationalize a very common engagement state at work, which we describe as Neutral.

Is Neutral ideal?

It is a less fulfilling state for people than Passionate Engagement, which we help individuals and organizations create. HOWEVER, it is someone who is contributing and is connected emotionally to their work, albeit moderately. They have not quit. They have chosen to manage their effort and energy in a manner that does not create stress. “They get their work done and take things in stride.” This is a legitimate choice, when circumstances require you to place additional energy outside of work or when you have been over-extending yourself at work and need to rejuvenate.

The pandemic blurred the lines between work and home and research shows people’s work hours increased during the pandemic. An increase in Neutral, given this context, could be a temporary, healthy choice.

Instead of sensationalizing this choice, let’s look to support individuals in moving toward Passion in a manner that is healthy for them.

Ultimately, at Spark’d, we help people find a high sense of meaning in their work and generate a high sense of progress. 

We help people to move from Neutral toward Passion so they can feel fulfilled in their choice of work and career. So, let’s stop sensationalizing a legitimate choice. 

At Spark’d, we also encourage people to work within their employment contract and to make choices during their day to focus on work that generates the most value so, as an individual, they are connected to what matters most to them personally AND they are aligned to what will move the organization forward.

A quick tip that will move people from Neutral to Passionate Engagement the most efficiently? Celebrate! 

Have some fun celebrating real accomplishments, both big and small. We all need more celebration in our lives!