Staff welfare important to prevent ‘quiet quitting’

PETALING JAYA: Organisational psychologist Dr Alizi Alias has urged employers to recognise the importance of staff mental health to prevent the practice of “quiet quitting”, or doing the bare minimum at the workplace.

He said employees with already poor well-being were likely to start such behaviour.

“Quiet quitting is a way for employees to actively manage their well-being. From their perspective, it benefits them to practise it because they put conscious efforts to (maintain) their well-being when their employers do not.

“It is often confused with languishing and burnout but in truth, they are three different phenomena. Quiet quitting refers to doing the bare minimum required to get by in a job without letting it seep into other areas of life.

“An employee who practises it may choose to prioritise their mental health over chances of getting a promotion. They do it to have a fulfilling life instead of a fulfilling career.”

According to the Workmonitor 2022 Survey by human resource company Randstad Malaysia, 51% of employees aged 18 to 24 and 55% aged 25 to 34 said they would quit a job if it prevented them from enjoying their life.

Alizi, who has also authored four books on adult mental health, concurred that a career-driven employee would resign and look for opportunities elsewhere.

“Employees tend to start quiet quitting when there is a failure to set boundaries between work and personal life in terms of work schedule and online communications, especially (when it comes to) obligations to return to offices post-Covid.

“When the work environment places an intense focus on productivity, ambition and success without regard for work-life balance, employees would quiet quit to return to some semblance of balance and as a coping mechanism to avoid overwork and burnout.”

A graphic designer from an advertising company, who asked to be known only as Sara, said she started adopting quiet quitting because of unfavourable conditions at her workplace.

“I would normally put in 200% effort when it came to the projects I worked on. I did not mind it because it was fun and I could showcase my creativity.”

However, Sara said things went south after there was a change in management.

“Everything changed for the worse. What was once a conducive environment for learning and growth became one where ideas were rejected and relationships became stiff.

“Suggestions were brushed aside and even the senior designer’s ideas would get ignored. My colleagues and I discussed this among ourselves and concluded that we all felt the same way.

“We were not getting the recognition and appreciation we deserved as employees. Instead, it felt like we were being treated as machines in a system.”

Sara said she did not feel like there was any personal and professional growth, so she decided to cut back on the efforts that she used to put in.

“Because of that, I have started doing the bare minimum during working hours and I always clock out on time. It is hard to give my all when I do not feel fulfilled at work.”

She added that individuals in leadership roles should listen to the opinions and ideas of their colleagues so that no one feels under-appreciated.

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