Quiet Quitting: All Roads Lead to Compliance

Viral TikTok videos have brought attention to a trend called “Quiet Quitting”.  This practice isn’t new, workers have quietly quit their jobs for years.

There are different interpretations of it though:

• Gen Z and younger millennials, born in 1989 and after, who according to survey data from Gallup reported the lowest U.S. employee engagement of all during the first quarter at 31%. Are they lazy?
• People will do exactly what is required of them and no more unless they are paid for it. Are they money-grubbers?
• Employees simply want to stay on their jobs and also focus their time on the things they do outside of the office. Are they wrong?
• They are opting out of the “hustle culture” and refusing to burn themselves by overworking. Are they highly sensitive individuals?

The answer for all those questions should be “not necessarily”.

(Not) Going Above And Beyond

One of the TikTok platform users said “… you’re not outright quitting your job, but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond. You’re still performing your duties, but you are no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be our life.”

No matter the generation or how rotted the workplace environment, there have always been employees who turn down new projects, do not volunteer for tasks, only take on easy assignments, or claim to be too busy to help coworkers or managers. Therefore it may also have to do with personality and life aspirations.

Besides, someone making a conscious decision of not going above and beyond should be interpreted as a red flag and one of the biggest dangers of herd mentality is that you begin to accept something if enough people are doing it. 

Not only the lack of enthusiasm about these people’s jobs brings them to an unhealthy and miserable life, but they can put the company and other employees at risk.

Something Might Be Wrong

Let’s be honest, everyone who enters the workforce quickly realizes that having a job isn’t all parties and relaxation. Navigating a corporate environment which can be full of despicable bosses, greed, vanity and competition has never been easy.

Some questions should be asked:

• Is RH helping employees manage stress and be sure to put mental health as a top priority? 
• Is RH working to create a positive work culture?
• Is RH working to promote a speak up culture?

People have to feel valued and learn how to manage realistic expectations.

Not only companies whose RH departments failed to answer “yes” for those three questions above will risk burning out high-performing, talented employees who would rather find another place to work, but are also at compliance matter’s risks. The vast majority of employees who are psychologically unattached to their work and company’s culture don’t care about the established policies and procedures.

HR & Compliance Partnership

Compliance and Human Resources share the same goal: ensuring compliance with the company’s code of ethics and conduct, legal and regulatory matters.

Employee satisfaction (happy and engaged people) promoted by HR means ensuring productivity (prosperous company) and compliant behavior (integrity and in accordance with laws).

A business needs its employees as much as they need the job. The first step may be to hear what employees are saying.

Everyone in the company must be able to prevent issues by adhering to the established systems. A company’s compliance program is in jeopardy if employees believe avoiding or detecting a compliance risk is outside their scope of work.

Lean on Prae Venire 
At Prae Venire, we support companies with their compliance matters in several ways. We conduct training, create content, help implement programs and detect if the company’s culture is poisoned. Why? Because for a program to be successful, your employees need to believe in it. It will not be successful if they aren’t willing to buy into the structure. For more information about how Prae Venire can assist you, contact us today to schedule a consultation.