It is no secret that both the hiring landscape and work environments have shifted dramatically over the past few years. Employers and employees are both going through significant cultural adjustments coming out of the COVID years. One of the latest phenomena is something known as Quiet Quitting.

Quiet Quitting is when employees continue to show up for work, but simply stop putting in the efforts needed to do the job, or complete only the bare minimum of the job descriptions. In many situations, employers are somewhat handcuffed to employees even when they demonstrate this kind of work ethic simply because the pool of candidates is small, and the time it takes to train new team members is extensive.

When this kind of behavior shows up in the workplace however, and the boss fails to handle it, toxicity can impact an entire team creating an underproducing staff, in a culture that is unhappy all around.

When employees begin to check out while still on the job, it can mean a few things. They are likely either overburdened at work, or underwhelmed by their job descriptions. They could be underpaid, underappreciated, facing stressors at home or with family, experiencing a negative work culture, or they could already be searching for their next job.

If an employee is on the fence about their job or have reached a stressful tipping point of some kind, there are a few behaviors you might begin to notice.

Seeing these behaviors and speaking candidly with the employee as quickly as possible is going to be your first line of defense in mitigating unproductive behavior that can often times infect entire teams quite quickly. A few things you might be on the lookout for include:

1. Checking out the minute the shift is over – we are not looking for a bunch of employees willing to work extra every day, but even the social aspect of people leaving the second the clock strikes 5 is a warning sign. When employees leave immediately it is generally a sign that they have closed out their last task long before the bell has rung, and they are no longer committed to building relationships with others in the office.
2. Most job descriptions have a line indicating that “other duties as assigned” might be an option. When employees argue or flat out turn down tasks that are not specifically outlined in their job description you might be experiencing an instance of Quiet Quitting.
3. Employees who are spending an undue amount of time on their phones or social media throughout the day and as a result are struggling to keep up with their normal tasks, and don’t seem too concerned when people bring this to their attention.
4. They are unwilling to engage in full team planning conversations, especially ones that revolve around the bigger vision of the firm or elements in the more distant future.
5. When asked to participate in a training or collect CE credits they are unable to produce evidence of learning, and are not excited by the concept of improving themselves for their job path.

Acknowledging and confronting the behavior is an uncomfortable but necessary step for the leaders of the organization. It is important to be aware of any significant issues in your team member’s lives that might be contributing to their lack of enthusiasm for their job. Once the behavior has been confronted an action plan should be agreed upon. It should be specific, measurable, observable and have a time frame on it. A check in meeting should be scheduled for 2-4 weeks out. Any improvement (or lack thereof) should be documented and a higher stakes action plan should be in place. If leadership fails to address these issues with staff, team moral will go down and you’ll see a downslide of efficiency, productivity and success across your team as a result.

Remember, for those on your team who are doing more than simply existing on the job, it is important to acknowledge that behavior as well – and reward it when possible. Get to know your staff and find out their motivating factors – money, time off, public praise or quiet notes of thanks – find out what moves them and have a plan in place to distribute your positive reinforcement of their actions.