Quiet Quitting: Productivity Improvements
The term “quiet quitting” became the lexicon of Human Resource Specialists post-COVID-19. People speak of quiet quitting as a new crisis; however, it's essentially disengagement rebranded. Quiet quitting is employees reducing their productivity due to disengagement. At its core, whether you label it quiet quitting or disengagement, it’s all about productivity. Quiet quitting is a lack of productivity by choice. This article touches on increasing productivity from both perspectives of productivity by design, and productivity by choice.
Productivity
Productivity is about maximising your outputs using your inputs. If your inputs are people, how do you maximise their performance?
Kurt Lewin’s formula developed in 1936 is the most succinct way of explaining behaviour:
B = f(P,E)
Lewin states that Behaviour is a function of the Person and their Environment. This simple formula isn’t new information for organisations. It’s the most basic organisational management principle, yet we’re still struggling to keep our teams engaged, and still experiencing performance issues across our organisations. Why is this?
I believe we keep sacrificing the basics for the newest shiniest silver bullet. This silver bullet will often be disguised as a new technology platform, or a management consultant selling “their approach” to productivity (the irony in my writing this is not lost…).
So, let’s get back to basics. Athletes do the same thing consistently to become great. It’s not because they don’t get bored, but because they’re disciplined in what it takes to achieve their goals. Basketballers don’t stop practicing dribbling because they’ve mastered it. They continue practicing the foundations even when they’ve mastered them. Many organisations appear to have stopped focussing on the basics. They’re now pursuing Artificial Intelligence or the latest tool to streamline social media or the latest “team engagement” activity… These are all valid initiatives however you’ll optimise the value of these initiatives if you have the right foundations. The right foundations are not new and exciting, but they are necessary. As the Greek Philosopher Epictetus states “Is anything made better by inattention?”
What are the Basics?
Let’s start with the Person in Lewin’s formula. A person’s behaviour is influenced by their personality, skills, motivators, values, past experiences, and future expectations. Some of these factors can be influenced.
Motivators and Values: While you cannot influence someone’s values or how someone is motivated, you can improve performance by understanding individual differences. For example:
Mastery versus continually being challenged: If you give a new task to someone who values mastery, they’re likely to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Conversely, if you give a new task to someone who likes being challenged, they’re likely to feel motivated and energised. This doesn’t mean you only provide new tasks to those who value being challenged. It simply means you provide additional support to those who value mastery. Spending a few minutes talking through the approach means the individual feels supported, procrastinates less, and feels more confident to complete the task.
Understanding what motivates individuals means we can help individuals stay motivated and staying motivated leads to higher productivity. This type of support also increases job satisfaction which reduces the likelihood of quiet quitting.
Skills Training: Each profession has its own skills requirements, but rarely are the basics revisited, and rarely do we understand capabilities at a granular level. The following examples are provided:
Microsoft Word Skills: Rate your Microsoft Word skills? The answer is usually, Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.
Versus
Can you cross-reference in Microsoft Word? Can you create your own numbering and heading styles in Microsoft Word? Can you develop macros in Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Excel Skills: Rate your Microsoft Excel skills? The answer is usually: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.
Versus
Can you do pivot tables in Excel? Can you do an if-statement in Excel? Can you do a nested if-statement in Excel?
Many leaders falsely assume their team is equipped to undertake daily tasks efficiently. This is a key issue impacting productivity in many organisations. When you establish a Capabilities Matrix at a granular level, it assists in developing targeted training and mentoring programs across your organisation which leads to higher productivity.
Self Awareness & Resilience Training: High-performance sporting teams and high-performance organisations have 3 things in common: Alignment, Process, and Resilience. The Stoics were the pioneers of resilience. There is incredible value in introducing stoic philosophies to your team (refer to my article on stoicism for further detail).
Equipping your team with resilience brings multiple benefits: less stress, higher morale, higher job satisfaction, less procrastination, and higher productivity. One, very simple initiative, is to implement an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Offering your team confidential support through a qualified psychologist can be very beneficial for morale and performance. Watch this space for tips on building a resilient team.
Future Expectations: The younger generation in our workforce are all keen to understand their career progression. I recommend supporting these team members in creating Career Development Plans. This is as simple as understanding their long-term goals and helping them step-out the actions required to achieve those goals. This should be collaborative. When our team knows their end-goal and the actions (and behaviour) to reach that goal, they’re more motivated to achieve.
There are many other initiatives that can influence your people, but the Environment component of Lewin’s formula is where leaders can make real change.
An Environment that fosters Productivity and reduces Quiet Quitting
Environment encompasses the physical environment, processes, technology, and organisational culture. There are many opportunities across Environment to foster productivity – Too many to include in this article however I’ll touch on each at a high-level.
Physical Environment: Physical Environment differs for everyone. For me, natural air and natural light support productivity, whereas others prefer no outside distractions. Open-plan offices versus closed-door offices are another much-debated topic that I won’t begin to presume is the same for everyone. Two considerations that are universally relevant are; (1) Team kitchens/break rooms to build a sense of belonging and foster good working relationships; and (2) Quiet spaces for deep analytical thinking and/or mindfulness meditation. Some leaders allow the use of headphones for deep analytical work however purpose designed spaces (where possible) can support productivity.
Processes: The right processes are critical for productivity. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is a phrase I’ve heard many times. A courier company with a fleet of 1950s cars is still delivering couriers (so it ain’t broke), but it won’t be as efficient as a new fleet of cars. When a process works, we rarely review whether improvements can be made. You may not always find process improvements, but it’s important to regularly review what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. Small efficiencies across multiple processes, lead to significant performance improvements. I also recommend cross-industry knowledge. Rather than looking at what all law firms are doing. Consider looking at what all professional service firms are doing. I regularly take learnings from one industry and apply them to another industry when implementing process changes.
Technology: Although technology is often falsely viewed as the silver bullet, it’s still a valuable tool for productivity. Technology should always be considered when reviewing productivity. In addition to the right technology, we should also consider how we use technology. Unfortunately, we rarely use technology optimally. When we implement new technology, we roll out extensive training to our team. Our team might retain 40% to 60% of this initial training. Yet we rarely continue structured training sessions. Training on your systems should be ongoing for the life of that technology.
The Big One... Culture!
Culture: This is the big one! Much of what has been discussed focuses on productivity by design rather than productivity by choice (ie quiet quitting). We must address both. We need efficient processes, well-trained team members, and technology that enables performance. We also need an environment where people are choosing to be productive.
Do you understand who is “coasting” or quiet quitting? Do you understand who procrastinates and/or avoids tasks and why? Is your language and approach to feedback focused on improvement rather than punishment? Have you created an environment where people can shine? Does the team feel empowered to make change? Does your performance review process enable growth, or is it merely a tick-and-flick rating? Are you encouraging a growth mindset in your team? Are you leading by example in your desired culture? Are you treating everyone as individuals with equitable outcomes? Do people feel connected to the purpose of their work and the organisation’s goals? Are your mentoring programs effective?
Culture doesn’t just “appear”. Everything we say and everything we do contributes to culture positively or negatively. As previously mentioned, high-performance teams have 3 things in common: Alignment, Process, and Resilience. Alignment is critical when it comes to culture.
Identifying your ideal culture, and then doing nothing, is like setting a goal to run a marathon but never actually starting to run. In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear suggests “we don’t rise to the level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems”. Once you establish your ideal culture, you need consistent action aligned with those goals.
Anonymous team surveys can help assess your current culture, but one-on-one discussions are also valuable. The challenge for some organisations is even realising they have team members who can do more but are choosing not to. If your team looks “busy being busy” but you’re not sure what they’re doing, it might be time to assess your culture.
We rarely focus on what we’re doing to impact culture. We assume our culture is “good”, but if we’re experiencing performance issues (or uncertain if we’re experiencing issues), it’s time to consider whether our culture is a contributing factor.
In closing
Every organisation is different therefore the above is not meant to be an exhaustive summation. These are merely examples of how a principle from the 1930s is still relevant today. They are not new principles of management, but quiet quitting is also not a new issue. Some argue that quiet quitting is merely people choosing work-life balance. When I refer to quiet quitting, I’m not referring to the people who refuse overtime. I’m referring to the people who, in work-time, choose to do less than they’re capable of doing.
Employee expectations are increasing which is increasing the rate of quiet quitting. This is an important issue for organisations. Our wage costs are rising and finding staff is harder than it’s ever been. We, therefore, need to maximise our outputs using our existing team. Increasing productivity is not about acquiring the latest technology (albeit it can help). It’s about getting back to basics – understanding your team, and understanding the environment your team works in. Leaders tend to be challenge-driven change makers wishing to pursue new initiatives or find that elusive silver bullet. The silver bullet will not be effective without strong foundations. Just as elite athletes practice the basics of their sport, leaders must practice the basics of business.
Reference: Reference to high-performing teams was by Lauren Weinstein on podcast “Think Fast, Talk Smart”.