Joanne Bushell | Managing Director | South Africa | IWG plc | mail me |
If last year brought “quiet quitting”, this year brings its noisier, angrier siblings. Loud quitting and rage applying are all about making a fuss. Does an employee want a pay rise? They’re asking for it. A team is unhappy with their manager? They’re letting people know.
Is a team unhappy with their manager? They let others know. Quiet quitting is no small issue. People work to the letter of their contracts but give up going above and beyond. This can drain energy, weaken culture, and harm employers and staff.
Loud quitting versus rage applying
Loud quitting involves making public threats to leave for better conditions. Rage applying is when employees fire off numerous job applications to escape their role. These are spikier challenges than quiet quitting. They are more public, less predictable, and potentially more damaging. So, how can businesses address these issues?
Happy employees
The solution is simple: nurture happy employees. Engage them, value them and respect them. It sounds easy, but achieving this company-wide requires care, thought and planning.
Employees now have a strong sense of self-worth. The pandemic showed what could be achieved by disrupting traditional working practices. Employees know and ask for their rights. Employers are not always quick to catch on. This context helps explain where this frustration stems from.
Having purpose
McKinsey research shows that employees with a positive experience are 16 times more engaged. They are also eight times more likely to stay at a company.
What do employees want? Pay rises and promotions help, but there’s more to it. Clear goals, regular pay reviews, and meaningful career guidance top the wish list. 72% of office workers want long-term flexibility over location rather than a 10% pay rise. They want their job to be worth the effort they put in.
Workers crave trust, social cohesion, and purpose. They want their sense of purpose to align with their organisation’s. They seek a physical and digital environment that allows work-life balance.
Catering for the individuals
Hybrid work promotes a positive employee experience. It prioritises family time and reduces commuting. This model increases happiness by as much as 20%.
It’s all about the trust employees desire. They want to make decisions about work and create productive, creative lifestyles. They want no more burnout. Flex spaces let workers choose where to work: near home or a company HQ. These spaces support their specific needs, boosting productivity.
In a our survey, 31% of workers said hybrid work boosts productivity. Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford professor, says hybrid increases productivity by 3-4%.
Office design improvements
Recent office design improvements support hybrid work. The lockdowns clarified what’s important, like zoned areas for varying moods and workloads.
Our offices are agile and fluid. They offer private zones, cafes, and collaboration tables. These spaces foster high-level connections, creativity, and energy. Happy, engaged employees benefit any organisation. It’s not necessarily costly; it’s about culture. Flex spaces are key to this culture. They send a clear message that you value and trust your staff.