Beyond Quiet Quitting: 3 Cures for Apathy, Disconnect in the Workplace

In recent years, quiet quitting went viral, literally and figuratively. Mercifully, we might be hearing the term less.

But make no mistake, the underbelly of that quiet rebellion is alive and strong. Gen Z might have brought the label to life, but the reality was a cross-generational feeling of increased apathy; people doing the bare minimum and having a complete lack of enthusiasm for work.

Not inspiring on the surface but an important signal of something bigger going on … and it’s certainly not apathy.

Quiet Quitting Stalls

Like all rebellions, quiet quitting is a viral reaction to the work experience not matching new expectations. And now that we’re less overstimulated by the volume of quiet quitting and posts about it, we can start to pay attention.

We know that a great employee experience cultivates happier people, stronger teams and ultimately better business performance. So, we need to close the expectation and reality gap. 

Our recent WorkPossible research revealed that one in three employees is dissatisfied with their experience at work — a figure that’s hard to ignore. Take a look around your workplace and imagine those dissatisfied people. Imagine the impact on people and the business if that number went down.

There’s only one thing for it. We find it’s time to get human.

The Case for Human-Centred Workplaces 

Let’s focus on the people for whom we create work experience. We’re there to enable those people to do their best work.

To do that, we need to really know them. Here are three places to start: listening, personalization and empowerment.

1. Listening 

Remember, employees are people, not resources.

Their lives are beautiful, messy and full of unexpected twists and turns. That’s being human.

It’s a totally unique experience for everyone. We all live with our own personal, human contexts. And employees want to be able to show up as themselves at work. They want their organizations to support them in their uniqueness and across all of life’s circumstances.

Organizations can’t do that unless they know what matters to their people and teams.

Tip: Normalize asking things such as, “What do you need to do your best work?” and “What sort of human experiences are important to you at work?”

And if you’re asking these questions, be ready to offer support in the big and small moments.

2. Personalization 

Gen Z has grown up with personalized everything — from Netflix recommendations to tailored online shopping. They expect the same from work. One-size-fits-all roles and rigid policies don’t work. Instead, organizations want to design work experiences that fit individuals’ unique needs, goals and preferences. 

The increase in rules around in-person office time is a perfect example. Yes, guidelines are positive for a fair experience but why are we forcing people to work somewhere that doesn’t enable their best work?

3. Empowerment 

Empowerment is founded on the trust people are given at work. It’s about confidence and good decisions. It’s promoting autonomy. And, not surprisingly, many employees want more of it.

According to our research, more than one in five people say being empowered is one of the top three things that energizes them at work.  

The power dynamic in the workforce is shifting as employees become more aware of their rights. More specifically, that is, an awareness of well-being, the rise of remote work and rapid workplace transformation. All of this has sparked the need for more self-direction and quick decision-making at all levels of an organization.

You want to give people the support and freedom they need to do their best work. 

Employee Experiences that Start the Right Sort of Movement

Viral movements give us a new lens to look differently at what we already instinctively know. The gap between new expectations and the reality of employee experience is widening.

This is an opportunity to look beyond the apathy blame game and work together to innovate a new work experience that lets people be their best.