Kent J. Wessinger, PhD
“Quiet quitting” is nonsense! As an owner, leader, and employer, I seek practical and tested solutions to problems that threaten my growth. If my employees are under-performing, I don’t care what it’s called, nor do I care what an “influencer” thinks. I want to know if under-performance is the employee, or the structure that I am providing to the employee.
The influencer that is credited with the phrase “quiet quitting” has never owned or lead a business. Yet, leaders continue to use his theoretical jargon to define under-performing employees. Why? Because it’s easier for leaders to label what they don’t understand, than to be the source of the problem.
Leaders throughout the world refer to my proprietary research on the millennial workforce as the largest and most impactful. I do not know if that is a fact, nor do I care. However, through all my implementation experiences in companies of all sizes, I’ve discovered that most companies are falling short in providing a structure that optimizes productivity.
I want to provide you with one step that will motivate your younger workforce to optimize their productivity.
83% of your younger workforce state they want “success modeled for them.”
This data point is up 10% in the last 2 years, emphasizing the desire of the younger workforce to succeed in your company. Looking at this from another angle, 83% state they are eager to optimize their productivity! Yet only 22% of the younger workforce state that their current company is providing a structure that models success. To keep you from wasting valuable resources on untested models of success, use the model we’ve tested and refined. Three keys to clarity are listed below:
- Your younger workforce does not define themselves as successful, but they’re hungry to succeed. This reality is contrary to the “quiet quitting” nonsense!
- Position your younger workforce for success, not as a collective group, but as individuals. Our experience has shown us that individual success breeds collaborative accountability and productivity.
- Your younger workforce measures “success” by the level of engagement inside your company. Engagement rarely happens organically; it’s an intentional structure that you develop and manage.
Instead of judging your younger workforce for “quiet quitting,” or being entitled, lazy, or selfish, take this approach. Connect with your younger workforce where they are… NOT where you think they should be!
How do you optimize employee engagement?
My proprietary information reveals that a whopping 81% of millennials define mentorship as “invaluable to their success,” yet only 21% of organizations have a mentorship structure, only 14% have a mentoring structure that millennials define as “effective.” While 68% of millennials state that a mentorship structure is a top tier factor in accepting a new job, 67% state they remain in their current job due to the mentorship structure.
Through our implementation experiences, we discovered that our mentorship structure produces a high level of engagement, an environment of success, and an outcome of heightened productivity. Our mentorship structure focuses on the success of the “whole” life of the employee, not limited to the career path or company mission. Companies that facilitate environments to make the “whole” person successful are the companies overcoming the workforce crisis. Due to the success of our mentorship structure, many of our clients utilize their mentorship structure as a key component in recruiting new employees. Further, we also discovered that removing the burden from the mentors by supplying the mentorship lessons, meeting in small groups, strategic action steps, and mentor training, all elevated employee engagement and increased retention rates by 63% (and growing).
Finally, our implementation experiences reveal that the first and most important step to employee engagement is an informed mentorship structure. Knowing that you must optimize the productivity of your younger workforce to achieve your growth goals, it’s time to implement a tested mentorship structure that results in employee engagement.
If you want to schedule a conversation with me, getstarted@retentionpartners.com.