From "Quiet Quitting" to "Joyful Joining": Here's How to Make It Happen in 2023

Christmas is almost here: a great time for organizations to look back on the past year and make plans for 2023. Many employees also use their days off around Christmas to reflect on their work. Are they still in the right role? As an employer or HR manager, it’s wise to address this now-so that your team remains motivated to work for you in the new year. Take a moment to consider: what was the situation like for your employees around this time last year? You might find it hard to imagine now, but in December 2021, the Netherlands was in lockdown. A significant portion of the workforce was working daily from their attic rooms or at their kitchen tables. Teachers spent months teaching via Teams or Zoom-and not always willingly. Healthcare professionals, security guards, and other essential workers who did have to leave the house did so after taking the necessary precautions. Their workdays were more stressful, and they faced a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus. At the slightest cough, they, too, had to stay home.  

Many are still uncertain

Although the days of lockdowns and face masks seem to be behind us, thankfully, the aftereffects of the COVID-19 crisis on the job market are still very much evident. The pandemic caused many people to reflect: Where am I actually headed in life? Am I still in the right place? Does my job make me happy? This led to career doubts among about 30 percent of employees, NU.nl reported. Such career doubts are resurfacing for many people as the end of the year approaches. The dark days around Christmas encourage reflection. Of course, as an employer, you want to prevent your employees from returning after the holidays to announce that they’re leaving. But how do you go about it? Good news: you can take action right now.  

Those on the Brink

Let’s first take a closer look at those who are having second thoughts. Not all of them will simply quit their jobs, but that doesn’t mean you can rest easy. An international trend seems to have made its way into the Dutch labor market: “quiet quitting.” Have you noticed that your employees haven’t been very eager to do more than the bare minimum lately? If so, they’ve become “quiet quitters.” The term first appeared in a TikTok video that received nearly 500,000 likes and was shared more than 40,000 times. “Quiet quitting” means doing only what’s strictly necessary at work. So these employees do remain on the payroll and perform the tasks outlined in their job descriptions, but they’ll never go the extra mile. At five o’clock sharp, they shut down their work laptop. They don’t work overtime, don’t assist with colleagues’ projects, and organizing the company outing? No way. In short: they show up physically, but mentally they’ve checked out. Interestingly, “quiet quitting” occurs across different generations. Some are older employees who are simply biding their time until retirement. Another group of “quitters” consists of younger employees. Generation Z in particular-those born in 1997 or later-values a good work-life balance. They’re not willing to go to the same lengths for an employer as the generation before them, the millennials.  

Don’t Judge

As an employer or HR manager, the term “quiet quitter” probably sounds like a nightmare scenario to you. Experts say you shouldn’t judge this behavior, but rather see it as a warning sign. After all: what are the working conditions causing employees to mentally disengage? And what role do you play in this as an employer? It’s important to understand what drives people to become “quiet quitters.” It has everything to do with high work pressure—caused by the historic labor shortage. Turnover is particularly high in healthcare and education. Hybrid work is also cited as a cause. As a result, the focus of work has shifted more toward productivity and efficiency, and less toward job satisfaction, loyalty, and team spirit. Yet these are precisely the factors that keep employees engaged and motivated.  

Here’s what you can do

Organizations that manage to retain employees long-term and keep them enthusiastic consciously invest in job satisfaction, encourage employees to relax sufficiently, and ensure autonomy in the workplace. Fortunately, job satisfaction and team spirit are also factors that you, as an employer, can influence! So give your employees a great start to 2023. Organize a generous New Year’s reception if you haven’t already, and go ahead and plan a team outing for the spring. Also, think about how you can pamper employees personally, for example with a “Happy New Year” surprise on their desks. But above all, make sure you pay attention to their work throughout the year. Check in with them regularly, reward them for their efforts, and give them compliments. In short, let them know you’re happy to have them! Of course, employees also bear some responsibility for their own job satisfaction. As media mogul Arianna Huffington wrote in a critical article: “Quiet quitting isn’t just about quitting your job; it’s a step toward quitting life.” It’s a shame, she argues, to stay in a place that doesn’t energize you. Huffington introduces an alternative term, as a counterpoint to “quiet quitting”: “joyful joining.” In other words: joining in with joy.  

New Year’s Meeting

How do you get your people to “joyfully join in” in 2023? The most important thing is to start the conversation early. Ask employees, on a personal level, if they’re still in the right place. Do this in a quiet one-on-one setting: that increases the likelihood that someone will feel safe enough to be open and honest. Also ask employees about their plans for the new year. What would they like to achieve? What tasks or projects do they most enjoy taking on? What knowledge and skills do they want to develop? And are there perhaps things they’d rather do less of-or not at all? Offer to help them shape these ideas together. For example, through a coaching program or a personal development plan.

Assessment as a Tool

Do you want to discover together how an employee can best thrive? Then an assessment is a useful tool. A development assessment is specifically designed for employees who no longer feel they’re in the right place and are looking for something different. You can think of such an assessment as a baseline evaluation. It provides insight into what your employees are capable of, where their talents lie, and in which direction they want to grow. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll be ready for the next step in 2023: working together to find a role within your organization that’s a perfect fit for them. That way, your employee will be sitting under the Christmas tree next year feeling completely satisfied. Want to learn more about assessments? Get in touch! We offer digital assessments at locations throughout the Netherlands. We welcome your employees warmly and give them personalized attention so they feel completely at ease. Check out the Lamark or hrmforce websites to explore the options.