Quiet Quitting Is A Symptom…

…lack of meaning is the disease.

This summer’s trending workplace terminology is really nothing new. The idea that employees may decide to do only what they are paid to do shouldn’t come as a surprise or be criticized. The assumption that people will gladly go above and beyond all the time is nonsense, particularly in a time when jobs are plentiful and among a generation who have less inherent trust and loyalty in institutions than those who came before.

The charity subculture has always relied on uncompensated extra effort. We expect our people to make sacrifices for the cause, and they often do.

There is pushback on this pattern. Dan Pallotta’s Uncharitable book critiqued many sacred cows and the Nonprofit AF blog by Vu Le has unearthed a lot of buried frustration in the dominant patterns within charity world.

The expectation that people will tolerate low pay, high demands, and make personal sacrifices at every turn for the sake of the cause has always been flawed, but now it may just not work anymore.

No need to despair. The marketplace hasn’t gone completely mercenary. There are millions of good people who are committed to doing work they believe in. They are looking to spend their work lives to help make the world a little brighter and better.

Dan Pink’s insightful book Drive provides compelling evidence that salary increases beyond a certain point aren’t motivational for most people. Choice, creativity, and meaning are more likely to bring out people’s best efforts than either more money or trendy perks.

The challenge in our organizations is to connect our employees to the impact. Ensure that every department is able to see how their daily efforts contribute to results in the field. Give them opportunity to shape their roles and share their ideas. And treat them with respect and encouragement.

Healthy organizations have cultures that people want to give their best, but they don’t take it for granted.