Quiet quitting, the professional blight of the year

As the planet settles into a post-pandemic routine where social codes and foundations are readjusted daily, a dark shadow has been lurking around for several months in the professional world.

The motto of 2022

Quiet quitting, or the behavior of discouraged employees doing the bare minimum at work, seems to be a new motto that every company is trying to banish from its vocabulary.

The idea behind this new concept is to apply a minimum effort behind each task at work, to create a pronounced detachment from one’s job. Although the word “quitting” is used, the action does not go that far. Thus, no resignation is on the horizon, but rather an extremely weak commitment of employees to their work.

The roots of the movement

The origin of the movement has its roots in social networks, particularly Tik Tok when one of its users mentioned the concept for the first time in 2022. Shortly after, many users took up the term, creating a wave of anecdotes and shared feelings.

This trend almost seems like an obvious piece in the great emotional melting pot of the recent years. In 2021, the United States found itself at the heart of The Great Resignation, a social movement during which 4 million employees left their jobs each month during that year.

Getting in touch with reality

Marie-Claude Brouillard, Director of Human Resources at Bota Bota observes the quiet quitting movement with hindsight and lucidity, “Most people working remotely were isolated and have surely lost the notion of in person team cohesion.” The physical detachment from the workplace would thus explain the slacking off of certain people and the lessened desire to integrate the workplace.

At Bota Bota, most employees returned quickly to work on site due to the nature of their job. To encourage them and continue to create a spirit of cohesion within the company, Marie-Claude supervises numerous projects to this effect. “Human contact is important. This is the reason why we set up social actions to forge links between the different teams.” This is how the employees were able to celebrate Halloween and Christmas together, but also volunteer their time with NPOs.

Towards a heightened awareness

Although this movement is deplored by the companies that suffer from it, it is important to be aware of its reality and the impact it could have in the coming years. Quiet Quitting stands out as one of the many symptoms of a world in search of a deeper purpose.

At Bota Bota the purpose of employees is represented in the form of the boat, a physical space that can be seen and appreciated as much from the offices across the street as on site. “We are lucky to be able to take advantage of it,” adds Marie-Claude, alluding to the employee benefits.

In order to remain vigilant and up to date on this issue, Marie-Claude suggests a few tactics to put in place; “Human Resources should make sure to properly coach managers so that they implement, for example, the frequent and regular meetings. Even if some of these meetings are still virtual, you must take the time to talk about everyday life, to be interested in something other than work. Especially from a distance, it is essential to engage in dialogue and remain open. We can always do better. »