Quiet Quitting … or Career Correction?

The Workforce Institute led an insightful study earlier this year — “Resign, Resigned, or Re-Sign?” — on people who quit their jobs during the pandemic and whether they regretted the decision. According to our results, 43% (more than 15 million people) did regret it, and nearly 20% have already since boomeranged back to their prior employers. We also looked at the disconnect among employees and their managers as to why people quit, what would’ve made them stay, and other deciding factors.

It will be interesting to see if people end up having second thoughts about quiet quitting. I predict most employees won’t, at least at first — and most managers will. Workers will likely feel a long-elusive sense of balance as they career correct, while leaders will worry that employee productivity could decline, customers could feel the brunt, and business results could wane. Some companies may even resort to terminations, if they find employees who’ve fallen into “bear career” territory.

But, what if there’s a better solution?

The time is ripe for companywide “culture corrections,” where workers don’t feel pressured or required to work 60-80 hours a week, six or seven days a week at a 40-hour pay rate. Companies, instead, should focus on building cultures where employees feel safe talking to their managers when there’s a problem or they feel overworked.

If a worker starts to retreat, their manager should conduct a stay interview to see what’s on their mind. If it’s still not clicking, they can explore a better-suited role within the organization that will move the business forward while reigniting the employee’s interests, so they don’t resort to quitting — quietly or otherwise — and can continue to thrive in their career.

Perhaps then, the quiet quitting trend will be replaced by reenergized retention, where employees feel a renewed sense of passion and pride in their work, and even their companies. After all, when workers feel cared for, valued, and respected, they might willingly put in some extra effort, better serve customers and help improve overall business.

That’s a welcomed correction that will yield positive returns for everyone.