By Kim Jong-nam
Quiet quitting has become a generational trend for millennials and Generation Z. According to research done by Gallup, more than 50 percent of them refuse to work more than required and think that merely meeting the job description is enough. Some people interpret this situation as meaning that these generations are lazier and more selfish. However, looking at some related data made me believe that this quiet quitting trend is not lazy but rather positively rational. This means that corporations need to deal with the consequences of an unhappy workplace by doing their duty, which, first of all, means understanding what reasons and values exist behind such seemingly quiet but in reality loud quitting. I am speaking here based on the results of organizational culture diagnoses that I have done for more than 30,000 employees at 10 companies this year.
First, their needs are not that different from those of other generations. Like other generations, millennials and Gen Z are not happy with inadequate salaries, promotion rates, benefits or treatment by corporations. In addition, these generations have begun to gauge the amount of effort and contribution they give to companies against what they get from companies in return, and also compare it to what they might get at other companies. This collective behavior is based on their values of equity and justice.
Second, their level of tolerance for conservative and rigid organizational culture is very low. If there are unjust or absurd events in their corporations, they expect measures to address them. They feel antipathy toward old-fashioned cultures that have not caught up with the changes of our current era. Just as corporations want their employees to work in a more modern way, employees are requesting their companies to do the same. This collective behavior is based on their values of equality and reciprocity.
Third, their thirst for an alignment of vision between organizations and themselves as individuals is much stronger. They are much more concerned about their organization's potential future paths and dislike any uncertainty about growth both for the company and for themselves. They have much bigger expectations for their own career growth and their company's growth, and would like these to go hand-in-hand. This collective behavior is based on their values of growth and development. They are also interested in how to increase the positivity of their corporate brand and image.
Fourth, organizational rationality has become a norm for them. They tend to think that they can evaluate their organizations' systems just as they are evaluated by their organizations on whether they are working methodically and in an organized way. Indeed, they would like their corporations to work methodically and in an organized way as well. They have a very low tolerance for unclear HR management systems or a backlog of people due for promotions that never arrive. This collective behavior is based on their values of clarity and mutual care.
In particular, in organizations where employees have an excessive workload, these complaints become much louder. These generations tend to be demotivated by an absence of a system that could compensate for an excessive workload and feel that they can't plan long-term strategies for their successful and consistent growth. Their desire for justice is always strong, wherever they work and whatever they work for. This is not greed but being rational. Furthermore, what is most important for these employees is not the systems themselves but rather whether the corporation seems to be genuinely concerned about its employees.
Fifth, these generations are more sensitive about human interaction. In particular, they become very stressed by people who affect the organization negatively because they think that everyone should show respect in accordance with the principles of fairness and mutual care. That is why they show such sensitive responses to people who intrude on organizational well-being. Additionally, they value interdepartmental communication and collaboration more than previous generations. It seems that they value relationships not just between human beings but also between abstract units, such as departments. I interpret this situation as meaning that their collective values are focused on communication regardless of rank, unit or even organization.
As illustrated above, millennials and Gen Z have their own logic and rationale about their relationship with their company, the way they should work and mutual expectations. If we merely say that they are lazy and selfish, those words show a significant misunderstanding. It will eventually make it hard for us to communicate and work with them. It is true that these generations leave corporations more frequently than previous generations did. However, we should also think about how they are different and what they expect, because most of their quiet quitting is based on sound judgment. If we refuse to take the time to understand them, then corporations will also be quiet quitters.
Kim Jong-nam is the founding CEO of Culture Engine (www.cultureengine.co.kr), which specializes in organizational culture change via consulting, training and coaching.
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First, their needs are not that different from those of other generations. Like other generations, millennials and Gen Z are not happy with inadequate salaries, promotion rates, benefits or treatment by corporations. In addition, these generations have begun to gauge the amount of effort and contribution they give to companies against what they get from companies in return, and also compare it to what they might get at other companies. This collective behavior is based on their values of equity and justice.
Second, their level of tolerance for conservative and rigid organizational culture is very low. If there are unjust or absurd events in their corporations, they expect measures to address them. They feel antipathy toward old-fashioned cultures that have not caught up with the changes of our current era. Just as corporations want their employees to work in a more modern way, employees are requesting their companies to do the same. This collective behavior is based on their values of equality and reciprocity.
Third, their thirst for an alignment of vision between organizations and themselves as individuals is much stronger. They are much more concerned about their organization's potential future paths and dislike any uncertainty about growth both for the company and for themselves. They have much bigger expectations for their own career growth and their company's growth, and would like these to go hand-in-hand. This collective behavior is based on their values of growth and development. They are also interested in how to increase the positivity of their corporate brand and image.
Fourth, organizational rationality has become a norm for them. They tend to think that they can evaluate their organizations' systems just as they are evaluated by their organizations on whether they are working methodically and in an organized way. Indeed, they would like their corporations to work methodically and in an organized way as well. They have a very low tolerance for unclear HR management systems or a backlog of people due for promotions that never arrive. This collective behavior is based on their values of clarity and mutual care.
In particular, in organizations where employees have an excessive workload, these complaints become much louder. These generations tend to be demotivated by an absence of a system that could compensate for an excessive workload and feel that they can't plan long-term strategies for their successful and consistent growth. Their desire for justice is always strong, wherever they work and whatever they work for. This is not greed but being rational. Furthermore, what is most important for these employees is not the systems themselves but rather whether the corporation seems to be genuinely concerned about its employees.
Fifth, these generations are more sensitive about human interaction. In particular, they become very stressed by people who affect the organization negatively because they think that everyone should show respect in accordance with the principles of fairness and mutual care. That is why they show such sensitive responses to people who intrude on organizational well-being. Additionally, they value interdepartmental communication and collaboration more than previous generations. It seems that they value relationships not just between human beings but also between abstract units, such as departments. I interpret this situation as meaning that their collective values are focused on communication regardless of rank, unit or even organization.
As illustrated above, millennials and Gen Z have their own logic and rationale about their relationship with their company, the way they should work and mutual expectations. If we merely say that they are lazy and selfish, those words show a significant misunderstanding. It will eventually make it hard for us to communicate and work with them. It is true that these generations leave corporations more frequently than previous generations did. However, we should also think about how they are different and what they expect, because most of their quiet quitting is based on sound judgment. If we refuse to take the time to understand them, then corporations will also be quiet quitters.
Kim Jong-nam is the founding CEO of Culture Engine (www.cultureengine.co.kr), which specializes in organizational culture change via consulting, training and coaching.
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