The many faces of retention

The business press has been awash with articles about women and the Great Resignation. Rightly so, since millions of women have left the workforce, plan to leave or have indicated they will switch positions. The impact cannot be overstated. 

However, another retention-related problem looms heavy, one which was fueled by the pandemic and, like the Great Resignation, can be a major obstacle to gender parity.

The toll of quiet quitting

Quiet quitting, significantly less reported and potentially as damaging as the Great Resignation, is gaining a strong foothold in companies of all sizes, across all industries. A recent HBR article, “When Quiet Quitting Is Worse Than the Real Thing,” defined it as “opting out of tasks beyond one’s assigned duties and/or becoming less psychologically interested in work.”

In some ways, quiet quitting can be even more insidious than out-and-out resigning, especially when it comes to early career women and women returning to the workforce. It can be hard to spot since the rudiments of the job are still getting done. However, commitment and loyalty to the organization wane. The creative drive that sparks innovation diminishes; and the desire for career advancement no longer exists. At a time, when a diverse corporate pipeline is both much needed and much depleted, the long-term consequences can be dire. 

Additionally, for many companies, the willingness of employees to go the extra mile greatly advances the organization’s competitive edge.

Retention strategies: Antidotes to resignation and quiet quitting

While called by different names, “quiet quitting” is nothing new. Doing no more than the essentials has long been flamed by inequity in pay, conscious and unconscious bias, male-dominated corporate cultures and a sense of being a corporate outsider. These issues are especially prevalent among women and others who feel disenfranchised at work.  

Fortunately, there are proven action steps organizations can take to both retain employees and  turn quiet quitting into active participation.

• Listen to employees. Really listen: It’s an especially critical strategy with women and minorities. The pandemic, with its change in where and how people work, provides an excellent example of the effectiveness of this strategy. As the pandemic progressed, managers began listening to their employees and allowing them to continue to choose their preferred work environment: home, office or hybrid. It’s been a highly productive accommodation for working women at all corporate levels, and one that is delivering widespread benefits for both the women and their organizations.
• Focus on potential: Too often, focusing on potential is an exclusively male purview, a discussion between male managers and their male team members. Women, on the other hand, are usually assessed transactionally with focus on what they do, not on what they can become. That needs to change. When managers have developmental discussions with their female team members, sharing the value they bring and actively discussing ways they can increase their organizational impact, women see their career potential and become more engaged.
• Don’t just retain. Enrich: Retention is always top of mind for organizations since it both protects the initial hiring investment and is a key strategy for feeding a diverse talent pipeline. When those in the throes of quiet quitting are tapped to participate in internal and external development programs and when their managers key them up for opportunities for which they have a special talent or liking, attitudes and behaviors are often reversed.
• Activate mentors and sponsors: Isolation is a key enabler of both quiet quitting and out- and-out resignation. Mentors, sponsors and networks provide needed support for those feeling disenfranchised. These support systems allow them to become re-engaged, more willing to advocate for themselves and more aware that advancement in pay and career are doable options. 

Combatting quiet quitting: A success story 

A participant in one of our recent WOMEN Unlimited programs had a 28-year track record with a leading shoe manufacturer and was moving more and more toward quiet quitting with the ultimate goal of early retirement. Her manager didn’t want to lose her — a valued employee with an unmatched understanding of the much-needed supply chain aspect of the business. He advocated for her being chosen for our LEAD leadership program because he wanted her to understand her critical value to the organization and that it was no time to “check out.”

The result of her manager’s on-going support and our participant’s increased awareness of her corporate value? She puts it this way: “I now am more intentional with my actions resulting in a high level of cross-functional strategic success.”  Her manager sees it like this: “She was always a 10. Now she is a 15.”

As this example points out, we can fight the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting.  We just have to commit to doing it.