Quiet quitting UAE is a recent trend as companies have tried to fill vacancies following the pandemic. Likewise, although the pandemic has passed, it is a behavior that continues to be present in companies today. However, some means can help stop this growing job abandonment by exploring the roots of the problem.
In this article, you will learn what this negative situation consists of as a perpetual concept in time. In addition, we will delve into this silent evil that is affecting many companies that live in the UAE.
Exploring Toxic Work Environments
Before exploring what a toxic workplace environment looks like, you will look at what is quiet quitting your job. It is when workers are not comfortable in their jobs due to a lack of motivation in their role in the company. As a result, a process of mental and emotional disconnection with their work environment begins, bringing several negative consequences.
Compared to normal renunciation, silent renunciation will not show you visible signs of discontent but rather subtle ones. Thus, it begins with non-participatory behaviors and a decrease in their work capacity in the position the employee holds.
With these symptoms, there is a decrease in the commitment of the worker to the job, related to a lack of clarity in expectations. Also, it affects the opportunities to emerge professionally because it is not in line with the purpose of the company. In short, this silent trend demonstrates that the worker has no connection with the employer.
In this case, compliance programs require everyone within the organization to be successful. However, this does not happen in most companies, as it is not considered a moral duty. However, this type of organization allows the achievement of the goals set without ceasing to serve the most valuable resource, the workforce.
Toxic work environment
Generally, quiet quitting UAE happens because the employee does not feel any support from his colleagues, his superiors, or the company. Likewise, recent studies show that 60% of human resources personnel consider that this managerial behavior is the cause of silent job desertion.
Additionally, employees become disengaged due to communication problems, lack of management commitment, or irresponsibility. In the same way, as we mentioned, due to the little support from superiors and other co-workers. Furthermore, although negativity at work can come from anyone, in most cases it comes from higher up positions of the company.
For example, leaders in an organization may have negative attitudes or mistreat employees in different ways.
The Deafening Silence of Employee Concerns
One of the factors for quiet quitting UAE is because the employee only works on what he is supposed to do and nothing else. Furthermore, they want to earn a living but with limitations in what they do to achieve this single goal. Likewise, they fulfill work tasks but do not adhere to the business culture, that is, they do not participate in other company activities.
In the same way, when they return home, they leave all thoughts of work behind and dedicate themselves only to their homes.
The Impact on Employee Health
The work culture is toxic for employees, when there is negative behavior, in addition to policies, and conflicts that cause silent resignation. Consequently, it affects health due to excess stress, fear, or hostility, which will be reflected in possible heart and mental illnesses, among others. Moreover, toxic work environments do not stay at work but can affect employees at home.
Therefore, company managers and their teams must find solutions to have a healthy work environment.
When Leaving Seems Like the Only Option
Various situations lead an employee to quiet quitting UAE which are often not reflected. Workers who silently abandon their jobs feel disconnected from their jobs. In this case, they use their time to look for employment in a different location to change their current situation.
There is also a phenomenon known as imposter syndrome, which 42% of workers suffer from, combined with exhaustion. In addition, burnout can lead employees to make more mistakes, leave the company, or have low morale. Next, we will show you the most common causes of silent resignation:
Job dissatisfaction
One of the main reasons for quiet quitting job is the employment dissatisfaction that an employee feels. In this case, the lack of motivation and enthusiasm at work are consequences of the dissatisfaction of the employees with their duties. However, the causes of this situation vary between employees but may be some of the following:
- Uninteresting tasks
- Mismatches between skills and responsibilities
- Feeling of undervaluation
- Feeling underestimated
However, it should be part of the concerns of the employer to constantly monitor its employees to know the situation of each one. This way, you can find solutions to the dissatisfaction of your employees and maintain your talent.
Limited growth
Workers may tend to quietly quit if they perceive little or no opportunity for growth in the company they work for. Likewise, not having a clear career path, and the lack of training and development programs can increase the desire to quiet quitting UAE.
This is because the employee will feel like they are stuck in their job and will not be able to grow while they remain there. In this way, they will look for job opportunities in other companies as a solution to their stagnation.
Feeling belittled
Recognition and feedback from the employee are aspects that employers and Human Resources managers should not underestimate. Most employees need these signs of interest in the company they work for so they do not become demotivated or disconnected. Therefore, employers should seek to give feedback, praise, and appreciation to their employees for a job well done.
In this way, they foster a sense of value and commitment in employees, reducing or even nullifying the desire to quit. Most employees in the UAE see this as the most affecting aspect when deciding to change jobs. Therefore, making workers feel appreciated is the key to having an engaged and motivated workforce.
Of course, employees who put in the effort and invest their time and skills into their jobs, expect some type of recognition. Through the recognition they receive from their employers, workers feel they have value to their employers. In contrast, the lack of this element can cause a series of negative consequences including:
- Demotivation
- Disconnection
- Unproductivity
Of course, as you may have seen, all of this will result in the desire to quiet quitting UAE.
Ripple Effect
The quiet resignation of some employees can cause a domino effect on some other team members. Discouraged and negative employees can infect and affect the morale of those around them. Additionally, this can cause general enthusiasm and friendliness in the workplace to decrease.
This affects the work environment, creating less collaborative and cohesive work. At the same time, they can cause serious effects on the company such as those we will mention below:
Decreased Productivity
Quiet quitting UAE will lead to a decrease in productivity on the part of employees without a commitment to their work. Therefore, as motivation decreases, you will complete tasks with less enthusiasm and attention to detail. Therefore, the overall performance of the workforce will decrease.
Furthermore, when commitment is lacking, there will be missed deadlines and more errors, which can affect project outcomes. In the same way, it will affect the ability of the company to offer its services and products efficiently.
The Challenge of Retaining Talent
Addressing the lack or poor performance of your employees is the best way to improve quiet quitting job. However, this topic is not new but addressing it in this context consists of the following:
- Assessing actual performance that is, not just responding to engagement issues you have noticed.
- Ensure objective measurement of performance across appropriate categories.
- Ensure clear expression of the latest job expectations in general and individually.
- Identification of difficulties, obstacles, and resource problems constantly to keep the board updated in this regard.
Likewise, the company must evaluate the necessary improvements at the organizational level to contribute to a better work environment. In this way, they will be able to contribute to reducing and even eliminating the desire to quiet quitting UAE. In this case, employers should pay attention to and evaluate the following elements within the organization:
- The fulfillment of promises from the company regarding employee work-life balance. They must also evaluate this aspect in terms of the well-being of workers and the company culture.
- Define with complete clarity all the elements that make up the business culture and the commitment expected of employees.
- Assess whether the organization has created an attractive and productive work environment by prioritizing what its employees want and need.
- If managers carry out their tasks appropriately, supporting employees in their performance and commitment to their jobs.
Although these objectives are common to all companies, each one may have its challenges and opportunities. However, one of the common mistakes is to only focus on the poor performance of individual employees. However, although this is a broader trend, they can take advantage of it to carry out organizational transformations.
Exhausted and Disheartened: The Effects of Toxicity
Quiet quitting UAE takes on a different aspect depending on the reasons why it happens. In this case, unhappy workers show more obvious signs than those who only set healthy boundaries. In this sense, the symptoms of a worker who is thinking about quitting quietly include the following:
- Do not participate in celebrations or conversations not related to work during work hours.
- Refusing to attend meetings
- Attending work late or leaving earlier than scheduled
- Decreased performance and productivity
- Not contributing significantly to group projects
- Not participating in planning meetings
- Lack of enthusiasm or passion for your work
Why Silence Prevails
Disconnection at work is a cause for workers to leave companies, although this is not a current phenomenon. These workers spend their time looking for other job alternatives for some of the following reasons:
- Bad remuneration
- Unmanageable workload
- Exhaustion
- Lack of promotion and other opportunities
Currently, it is seen that the phenomenon of lack of commitment is increasing for the reasons mentioned. Furthermore, the vast majority of workers worldwide say that they stay in their jobs waiting for opportunities in better places. However, this has been improving since 2021, which does not mean that companies should not address the phenomenon of silent resignation.
Conclusion: Road to a Healthier Workplace
Quiet quitting UAE is something that affects most, if not all, companies. However, there are different ways in which Human Resources specialists can combat this negative aspect. To do so, the recommendations are the following:
- Establish debates on worker commitment. Company culture and the feelings of its employees are an essential part of the success of the programs of a company. Therefore, establishing specific and constant moments to know and evaluate employee commitment is important.
- There are various ways to thank workers for achieving goals and improving business productivity. Thus, the employer must focus part of its attention on rewarding each productive contribution and the positive behaviors that they want to be repeated. This aspect can make the difference between having truly engaged workers or those who do not wish to participate.
- Give the example. You should try not to send the wrong message by focusing only on your goals and not favoring other areas of work. Hence, invest time and effort in contributing to the business in other ways and be a role model for your employees.
- Set real, healthy goals. Workers feel more pressure at work when expectations and standards are too high. Thus, set healthy but ambitious goals for a win-win situation.
Consequently, now you know what is quiet quitting your job and what the causes of this phenomenon are. Therefore, facing this reality in a company is an important step to implement policies that reduce this situation. If you want to know more about this and other aspects of employment in the UAE, you can contact us and we will help you with whatever you need.
