Enquirer Digest - Weekly #0006: Leaders and workplace - 2
Hello Enquirers
You will remember from the last edition that we had covered Brené Brown podcast "What's Happening at work". There were two episodes and this week I will cover the second episode. This episode also featured Simon Sinek and Adam Grant
Again, great points were made, and insights were provided. This time the episode was more about Quiet Quitting, engagement and setting boundaries.
Today's Podcast
Before you start reading here is the link to the episode.
I was particularly surprised when a part of disengagement that led to quit quitting was coined as "neglect". Nevertheless, it didn't take for them to leave the "neglect" terminology. I really enjoyed the point that Brene Brown made on that Quiet Quitting doesn't provide relief and that only loud quitting may provide some relief. She went on to underline that quiet quitting still damages one's mental health in the process.
One other interesting point that was raised was that it wasn't only just people quiet quitting bad companies with bad workplaces but also good companies. This was attributed to the fact that after COVID many have started to look for a work-life balance beyond what it was previously.
The main insight of the conversation was as follows:
So, when a leader asks, "can you work a few hours on Saturday?” That’s still okay. That doesn’t violate the boundary of work-life balance. These boundaries also must be maintained by the people. These definitions and understandings shouldn't be treated as absolutes but as dials where both the leader their people have boundaries to manage in an understanding and flexible way. Where people can respond to the leader yes, I can work on a Saturday but should be to say, " I care about my work, I am going to go above and beyond when I can, but I am not going to risk my relationships, my health, and my mental well-being for the company".
In response a leader should be able to communicate “Thank you for working long hours that weekend to get that project deliverable out, I really appreciate it. Take some time off next week. Let me make it back up to you.”
The reality portrayed here is true but awfully hard to implement in real life. People need to believe their leaders and trust must be present in the relationship. I do believe that trust and authenticity on both sides are a prerequisite to a healthy workplace relationship.
Today's Article
This week's article is from Harvard Business Review
When quiet quitting is worse than the real thing an article written by Anthony C. Klotz and Mark C. Bolino
Here are three things the article underlines to remedy the situation
Redefine Core Job Tasks
recalibrate employees’ core job responsibilities to reflect what work more accurately is necessary
Motivate by citizenship crafting
The idea of citizenship crafting is based on the concept of job crafting in which people redesign their work by altering aspects of the job itself (task crafting), the people with whom they work (relationship crafting), and their mindset about their jobs (cognitive crafting) in ways that play to their strengths, motives, and passions.
Listen, Then Invest
Leaders should not only be available to connect with employees themselves, but they should also encourage and incentivize managers to stay abreast of how their employees are feeling
Today's Quote
Although not from the podcast the quote comes from Adam Grant as resurfaced by Readwise
“Quiet quitting” isn’t laziness. Doing the bare minimum is a common response to bullshit jobs, abusive bosses, and low pay. When they don’t feel cared about, people eventually stop caring. If you want them to go the extra mile, start with meaningful work, respect, and fair pay. Adam Grant