Aricle of Iñaki Saltor, Managing Partner at Saltor Talent
The other day I read an interesting article about the quiet quitting phenomenon that I recommend you read. In it, Santi García, from the Future for Work Institute, tells how the pandemic has shaken the foundations of many people and, especially, those of their relationship with work. After a year of pandemic, the YOLO Economy (acronym for You Only Live Once) was first discussed, a name that Kevin Roose gave to the phenomenon of those who, tired of routine work and videoconferences, took new risks with the money they had gone saving. Later, in China, the 'Lie Down' movement was born, a current of resistance against the culture of hard work and sacrifice that predominates in that country; Then, there was talk of 'the great resignation', a theory that explains why, in April 2021 alone, 4 million Americans left their jobs. Finally, 'Quiet quitting' has come to stay, a phenomenon that Zaid Khan made viral in a video this July. It is an attitude of those who quietly decide to take it easy instead of leaving their jobs
In a survey carried out at the Future for Work Institute among HR professionals from Spanish companies, 'reconciliation with personal and family life' was ahead of 'professional recognition' or 'earning money', among the interests of Workers.
And how does this affect company managers? Well, without a doubt, first of all, we must take note: the pandemic has reinforced the idea that we work to live and not the other way around. And that is something that will increasingly be in the environment and in the deepest beliefs of our teams.
In the video series NEW LEADERSHIPS, this phenomenon has been spoken of actively and passively, although with other names: that the purpose of companies and their workers is to go online, that the companies of the future -of the present- are more humane and sustainable or they will disappear, etc.
For us, managers, it is worth asking ourselves: do I know my teams well? Do I know what motivates them, what moves them, what makes them be in our company? Do they do it just for money or are there other things? Do all my directors and all my staff believe in the project? Is my company human enough, beyond what is stipulated by law or the business culture of my sector?
The pandemic has put us in a scenario that we did not foresee a few years ago. We have the opportunity to adapt, for the good of our teams, or to lose our most precious asset: people, and their talent.