Quiet Quitting and Fast Quitting: Two Sides of the Same Workplace Challenge
As the year draws to a close, I am taking the time to reflect on the topics, interactions, and influences that have been prominent in my year. Among them, quiet quitting and fast quitting stand out—not just as workplace trends, but as calls to action for leaders and organisations. These phenomena reveal the tensions between employee expectations and organizational realities, and they remind us of the vital role leadership plays in fostering engagement and retention.
Whether it’s the slow withdrawal of quiet quitting or the abrupt exit of fast quitting, both trends have one thing in common: they reflect a disconnect between people and their work. The question is, how do we bridge this gap?
Quiet Quitting: A Symptom of Disconnection
Quiet quitting has been called the silent workplace revolution, employees staying in their roles but doing only the bare minimum. For some, it’s an act of self-preservation in the face of burnout or frustration. But for organisations, it represents a significant loss of energy, innovation, and productivity.
As someone who’s worked with individuals and teams navigating these challenges, I’ve seen how this disengagement often stems from:
Lack of Recognition: Employees need to feel valued for their contributions.
Unrealistic Expectations: Overburdened employees withdraw when they feel set up to fail.
Absence of Purpose: Without a sense of meaning in their work, people lose motivation.
For organisations, quiet quitting is a wake-up call to invest in leadership and culture. But it’s also a moment for individuals to reflect: Am I truly advocating for what I need, or am I stepping away silently?
Fast Quitting: The Cost of Early Departures
Fast quitting, where employees leave within six months of starting a job, poses an even greater challenge. According to Korn Ferry, over half of UK workers now leave jobs within this timeframe, often due to “shift shock”, the gap between job expectations and reality.
For businesses, the financial and cultural costs of fast quitting are enormous:
Replacing an employee can cost up to twice their annual salary.
High turnover disrupts teams and damages morale.
Trust between employees and leadership erodes with every unfulfilled promise.
Organisations need to address the root causes of fast quitting, including:
Transparent Recruitment Practices: Avoiding "shift shock" starts with honesty during the hiring process.
Effective Onboarding: Employees need to feel equipped and supported from day one.
Leadership Accountability: Managers must bridge the gap between organizational demands and employee needs.
The Leadership Imperative
Both quiet quitting and fast quitting highlight a crucial truth: leadership is the linchpin of engagement and retention. Employees disengage or leave when they don’t feel supported, heard, or connected to their organization’s vision. Leaders who fail to recognize this risk creating environments where talent cannot thrive.
Here’s how organisations can empower leaders to tackle these challenges:
Be Transparent from the Start
Leaders should ensure job descriptions and expectations align with reality. Including incumbent employees in the hiring process fosters trust and reduces early turnover.Foster Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
Leaders with high EQ can better manage team dynamics, offer meaningful support, and address concerns before they escalate. Empathy and active listening are non-negotiable.Set Realistic Expectations
Unrealistic demands lead to burnout and frustration. Leaders must balance ambition with achievable goals, ensuring employees have the resources they need to succeed.Communicate Vision and Purpose
People want to know that their work matters. Leaders who articulate the company’s mission and connect individual roles to that vision create stronger engagement.Create a Positive Workplace Culture
Toxic environments drive both quiet quitting and fast quitting. Leaders must cultivate trust, inclusivity, and psychological safety through open communication and genuine feedback.
Individual Responsibility: Owning Your Role
While leadership plays a vital role, employees also have a responsibility to reflect on their own expectations and contributions. In my work with clients, I often challenge them to ask:
Am I clear about what I need from my work, and have I communicated it effectively?
What steps am I taking to grow and develop my skills?
Am I willing to advocate for change, or am I withdrawing silently?
Taking ownership doesn’t mean accepting poor conditions. It means being proactive about your career and seeking support when needed.
A Way Forward: Empowering Leaders, Engaging Employees
Quiet quitting and fast quitting are more than workplace trends, they are signals that something needs to change. For businesses, the message is clear: leadership and culture are key to addressing disengagement and turnover. For individuals, the challenge is to own your career journey, advocating for what you need while contributing your best.
If these challenges resonate with your organisation, or if you’re navigating them personally, I’d love to help. Visit www.anthonyomara.com or reach out directly.
Further Reading
To explore these ideas further, consider the following resources:
“The Great Resignation vs. Quiet Quitting” by Gallup link
“Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel H. Pink
“Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by Emily and Amelia Nagoski
“The Joy of Work” by Bruce Daisley
“How Leaders Can Reduce Burnout in Their Teams” by Harvard Business Review (HBR) link
Korn Ferry Report on Fast Quitting link
The FT’s Comment On Burn Out
There have been more articles than I can count about burnout and the great resignation recently but this one in the FT resonated as it identified three areas that may get overlooked as companies rush to find solutions.
https://lnkd.in/dXEWbEQP (this is pay walled)
Many employees feel uncomfortable talking to their manager
about burnout."We have to ask - don't assume”
"You don't have to have the solution, but people need to be
heard".In the rush to find solutions, and there are lots of solutions being proposed, are the safe places being created for employees to be heard and leaders to listen?
#coaching #leaders #people #leadershipdevelopment #burnout #greatresignation #leadershiplens #ft
When Work Life Just Becomes Muscle Memory
Senior leaders I work with tell me that they are stuck and frustrated in “routine”.
Many struggle to free themselves, to make a bigger impact and achieve the potential that they were hired to deliver.
One potential cause is muscle memory.
"Muscle memory", the ability of our muscles to remember certain movements or actions after repeated practice”.
There is a growing concern that our work lives have become so routine and habitual that we are no longer consciously thinking about the tasks we are performing.
Obviously certain parts of work require an element of this, however, when this tips beyond a certain level we may find ourselves going through the motions without really thinking about what we're doing.
Technology has become a driver of why work life has become an exercise in muscle memory. We rely heavily on smartphones, email, and other digital tools to manage our work and communicate with colleagues. These can be helpful and if nothing else allow us to deal with certain elements of work at speed. However, they can also create a sense of automation and routine in our work lives.
As a result, we may find ourselves going through the motions without really thinking about what we're doing. We may be responding to emails, attending meetings, and completing tasks without ever stopping to consider whether these actions are truly necessary or if there is a more efficient or effective way to do them.
Research has shown that when we rely on routine and habit to perform tasks, we may become less creative and innovative. According to a study conducted by the University of Illinois, participants who performed a task repeatedly for several days showed decreased creativity compared to those who performed the task only once.
This is because when we rely on muscle memory to perform tasks, we are less likely to explore new ideas and approaches. Instead, we may continue to perform tasks in the same way because it feels comfortable and familiar.
Likely consequences of muscle memory imbalance in the workplace include:
Less creativity and innovation,
When we are constantly performing the same tasks without thinking, we may become bored or disengaged with work. Which in turn can lead to,
Decreased productivity,
Increased absenteeism,
Low retention rates
Physical and mental health problems.
In a growing number of cases burn out,
This can lead to feelings of exhaustion, frustration, and dissatisfaction, which can ultimately lead to burnout,
Research has shown that burnout is a major issue in the workplace, with an estimated 23% of employees experiencing burnout at some point in their careers.
Some of the ways we can combat this and stop it from happening are.
Create the space and time to allow yourself to regularly evaluate your work habits and routines.
Stay curious by taking a step back and asking yourself whether the tasks we are performing are truly necessary,
or if there is a more efficient or effective way to do them.
Create opportunities for professional development, attend workshops, and encourage knowledge sharing. By continuously learning, you'll be more engaged and less likely to get stuck relying on muscle memory.
Set Personal Challenges: Continuously challenge yourself by setting personal goals or challenges that go beyond your daily routine. These goals can be related to efficiency, productivity, or learning new skills.
Implement "Hack Days" or "Innovation Time": Dedicate specific days or time periods where you can explore new ideas outside of the regular routine.
Seek Feedback. Regularly seek feedback from colleagues or supervisors on your work and processes. Act on the feedback received and on your approach to tasks. By constantly refining and improving your methods, you avoid stagnation and ensure your work remains dynamic and effective.
Practice mindfulness. Research has shown that mindfulness can have numerous benefits in the workplace, including increased productivity, creativity, and well-being.
The phenomenon of work life becoming muscle memory can have negative implications for productivity, creativity, and well-being in the workplace.
However, these strategies can be used to combat this issue.
Let’s get back to purposeful engaged innovative stimulating work.