Quiet quitting refers to the phenomenon in a job when employees have disengaged from their roles, are carrying on the duties and responsibilities with no zest or improvement, but have not actively communicated that they are no longer interested in the job or to stay in the firm or company, i.e., they are not seeking new employment. According to a study conducted by the Work Institute, the cost of turnover due to quiet quitting is approximately $600 billion per year in the United States alone. Quiet quitting not only affects the productivity factor of a company, but also affects the mental wellbeing of the employees in question. This is where skilling and upskilling, as well as reskilling, come into the picture.
Skilling and upskilling refers to the process of intervention by the organisations in providing quality and necessary training and education in order to enhance productivity, knowledge, and self-esteem of the employees. It also helps in bridging skill gaps and cost spent on hiring new employees because of quiet quitting. People often do quiet quitting because there is a skill gap and demotivation in the work that they do. They would not take up new roles or responsibilities, and quietly do the job they are there for. They would not involve themselves in anything above and beyond their current role. This leads to not only low productivity, but also decreases the morale of the entire team and organisation. Skilling and upskilling in this scenario is the saviour for every organisation.
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Here are some of the reasons why skilling and upskilling the employees is beneficial for everyone:
- Empowerment of employees: Skilling and upskilling help in empowering the employees. It enables them to know the tools and have the knowledge to perform at work more efficiently. It increases morale and confidence. It also empowers them to take up new challenges and responsibility, and see themselves on the brighter side in their professional life. In fact, a survey conducted by LinkedIn said that 94% of employees would stick to their organisation if they observe that the organisation is doing more for their career development. So providing means to skill, reskill, and upskill is a responsibility that organisations need to take up to enhance their bottom line as well as the wellbeing of the employees.
- Improved job satisfaction: Job satisfaction is utterly crucial in engagement and retention. Naturally, employees will attain job satisfaction if they are performing well with confidence, and that would come from skilling and upskilling them so that they can be efficient at their jobs without any gap. This will help them stay motivated, engaged, and productive, as there will be a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment at their jobs.
- Increased employee loyalty: Loyalty is barely a one-way street. If the employees observe that the employer or organisation is paying attention to their career development by providing them with opportunities in skilling and upskilling through training, workshops, webinars or seminars, etc., they will tend to be more loyal and also would be motivated to work more efficiently.
- Boost in employee morale: Through skilling and upskilling, there would surely be a boost in employee morale as they would know what is crucial in their work, and they would have a sense of accomplishment and pride, making it a healthier workspace away from quiet quitting.
- Reduced turnover: Skilling and upskilling can reduce turnover as they would be better equipped with the skill-sets and knowledge to tackle the challenges at job, and they would feel more engaged in what they do.
Key points to consider
- Skill gap: The skill gap is real, and it affects in reality. According to a report, 76% of the Indian workforce has personally been influenced by the skill gap. Skilling and upskilling is certain to come in handy here.
- Training and development: Career dynamics is very much shaped by skilling and upskilling, as well as reskilling. When an organisation invests in training and career development of their employees, the employees feel valued and become more confident and assertive at work. It also helps them go beyond their work and do more, achieve more, perform more. It is a win-win situation for both the parties.
- Growth and flexibility: Organisations need to invest in the growth of their employees. There should be flexibility after providing them with skilling and upskilling opportunities, for job rotations, internal mobility, and cross-functional assignments. This can help in dismantling the problem of quiet quitting.
- Mentoring and coaching: Mentorship and coaching programmes are very beneficial to boost morale of the employees. Mentorship means to pair an employee with a much more experienced employee to discuss professional and personal aspects. Coaching is more skill and work specific, by working on skills-gap, problem-solving, leadership conversations, etc. This provides support to the employee to the extent that they feel seen, heard, and valued. A report says that 72% of employees are likely to stay in the same organisation for more than five years if the organisation invests in their development aspect.
Skilling and upskilling is important in its core because an employee is more valuable if they have a wider range of skills. Reskilling is necessary because over time we tend to lose touch with certain aspects of the professional knowledge or tools, and reskilling really helps to fill in the blanks.
In conclusion, we can assure that skilling and upskilling is of utmost importance to the employees as well as the organisations, as they go a long way to eliminate quiet quitting. With this touch, both the parties will prosper.
Reference: India Today, Here’s how skilling and upskilling can combat quiet quitting| Explained, 13 February (2023)
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