LISTEN TO EPISODE 102 

SCOTT DOW: 

"We got some great questions about the quiet quitting series, and I want to share a couple of them.

First one is this - 'What's the difference between 'quiet quitting' and 'life-work balance'?'

My answer is this: I think of quiet quitting as employee disengagement, which is a bad thing, and you need to manage it. And protecting life-work balance is a good thing, so you need to promote it. You deal with the former and you promote the latter.

Next question - 'I've got some quiet quitters, but I can't afford to lose them. Isn't 60% of somebody better than nothing at all?'

And my answer is this: You're right, it is. But 65% of someone is better than 60%. 70% of somebody is better than 65%. And these modest increases in their productivity are going to have a huge impact on your team's overall capabilities.

Next question - 'I've got some people that have quietly quit, but I've got some workaholics too. What about them?'

Now, that's a great question, and here's my answer: There are two types of workaholics those that love to work and those that fear failure. If they love to work, it's because it makes them feel good, and that's a good thing, and I wouldn't mess with it.

But when you're thanking them for their efforts, showing interest in their life outside of work, that's a subtle way of demonstrating how much you value their life work balance. If they fear failure, help them prioritize so they're not biting off too much. Focus them on shorter term goals because they're going to feel more manageable and give timely and positive feedback, so they'll build confidence. You help a fearful workaholic find balance by making them feel safer. Helping them feel safer.

Last question is this - 'Should I talk to my team about quiet quitting?'

My answer is this: It depends. If you manage managers, you should, because it's an invaluable coaching opportunity. And if you manage frontline employees or individual contributors, I'd manage their engagement on a one-on-one basis, so I hope that helps and keep the questions coming."

OUTRO: 

Thanks for listening! You can email us at info.@mentalnotes.com. Feel free to share with your colleagues and follow us on all major podcast platforms.