How to fight quiet quitting and promote talent retention

Quiet quitting, which is reflected in employees who do only and exclusively what is in their contracts and within the stipulated schedule in a kind of "disconnected" and indifferent attitude, and other behaviors that we have seen in recent times, such as The Great Resignation (consisting of a large mass of employees who "voluntarily leave" their jobs), have revolutionized the labor market. Never has People Management had such a great weight and importance, nor has it ever taken such a central position within a company's strategy, which is why it is essential that we take a close and careful look and discuss the main trends in human resources.

I believe that quiet quitting is closely related to the level of engagement of employees with the company. It is important to "feel the pulse" of the organization (through, for example, a strong feedback culture, the application of surveys and/or satisfaction surveys, among other good practices) and to work on the critical points that determine the level of employee engagement. Topics such as purpose (i.e. understanding the impact of your work), strategy and leadership (i.e. having a clear strategic vision and concrete goals), career (i.e. having a sense of progression and professional growth) or energy (i.e. having time to recover from work and a good work-life balance) are just some of the critical factors that impact an employee's engagement level. Studies in this area show that teams with a high level of engagement are about 20% more productive, so if we want to combat quiet quitting, it is no longer enough to keep our employees motivated with bonuses and/or other "placebos" that help occasionally, but not deeply and structurally. We have to pay attention to their level of commitment, identification, and involvement with the organization, the so-called "love of the shirt", because only then will these employees give the extra mile and contribute to a solid, committed, productive, and effective organizational culture.

At Nova SBE we have developed several initiatives to increase this commitment to the school, and we have been particularly committed to developing leaders who contribute with their team management practices to this involvement.

I believe that it is not only the salary component that retains a person in the organization where he/she works, much less the factor that involves and keeps him/her committed. If that were the case, most companies would lose their employees to multinationals that bet on 100% remote work and high salaries (settling in Portugal, but with resources working outside the country and earning international wages). The salary component is obviously essential in people management, but I strongly believe that "money doesn't buy everything". Identification with the values and purpose of an organization, as well as the environment - read physical, psychological, and emotional - that a person experiences at work are absolutely essential factors when we talk about people management. If we look at the turnover data and what the exit interviews reveal, in the vast majority of cases, we realize that employees are leaving their bosses, not their jobs; they are looking for a new professional challenge to learn more, grow, and develop themselves, and not so much bexause - exclusively and merely - of the salary.

If a company can't be competitive from a salary point of view, then it should bet as much as possible on the critical factors that differentiate it. Understand its value proposition, communicate it well, and invest in it. Especially nowadays, when the focus is on employee satisfaction as a key factor in retaining talent, organizations with good levels of well-being, training and development, possibilities for growth and internal development, are the ones that keep their employees with a higher success rate.

Taking Nova SBE's example once again, because we are an international business school, we embrace diversity: students, teachers, and staff, Portuguese and foreigners, live together in a very dynamic ecosystem with access to the best resources, maximizing productivity. We have been establishing ourselves as a reference employer due to our pioneering human resources policies and the disruptive and challenging spirit with which we present ourselves to our employees, candidates, and the community itself. The Carcavelos campus provides a stimulating work environment, with constant contact with various stakeholders, areas and projects, offering a more comprehensive view of a truly unique sector of activity.