From quiet quitting to 'organisational silence': instructions for the changing workplace

When the working relationship between boss and employee changes paradigm. When from an operational mode based on the control of every single action of the production process, it moves to a relationship based on the definition of objectives and the verification of results. Agile working profoundly changes the organisational set-up not only because the unity of time and space in the execution of the work activity is overcome, but also because the worker is allowed greater autonomy in the execution of the delegated activity. Smart working is such not because the same tasks are carried out remotely as would be done in the presence, but because it profoundly changes working relationships: the autonomy of the person is increased and with it also his or her possibility of having a proactive role in the execution of the assigned task.

Is a better work-life balance really what Italian workers are looking for? And is this a goal that can be achieved by quite quitting?

People continue to pursue work success, but this must not sacrifice family affection, health and good friendships. The urgency for happiness, here and now, has invested the world of work, the threshold for accepting frustration has been lowered and unsatisfied people are looking for new employment opportunities faster than before. This explains the phenomenon of large resignations, a phenomenon that the pandemic has only accelerated. Nowadays, people change jobs much more often than before and when people who are dissatisfied with their profession or who experience the working environment badly do not have the opportunity to leave, quiet quitting appears. A 2023 survey by the American consulting firm Gallup found that at least half of the US workforce is made up of people who have pulled the oars.

The post-pandemic organisation has to be rethought: do the relational models between managers and employees have to be rethought?

The disconnection between company and employee was correlated, in particular, with lack of clarity of expectations, limited opportunities for learning and growth, not feeling taken into account, and lack of connection to the organisation's mission or purpose. These are all elements that contribute to the growing disconnect between employees and employers. The study "State of the Global Workplace 2023" by Gallup to which I referred earlier tells us in this regard how 95% of people working in Italy do not feel fully involved in their jobs, while a recent survey by the business community "Fior di Risorse" warns us that two out of three Italians are willing to change jobs. Bad relations with one's boss or colleagues, unsatisfactory work and the inability to improve one's position are the underlying causes of job changes, an issue for which we are seeing renewed attention from companies.

Is there a recipe to follow in order not to go astray?

With the new millennium, two new epoch-making phenomena have definitively established themselves: globalisation and digitalisation. To the extreme variability of the markets and the impossibility of making long-term plans has simultaneously been added the change in the mindset of people, who now demand to work in a more autonomous, flexible and satisfying way. These changes have led to a new psychological contract between companies and employees: the former can no longer guarantee the long-term stability of the relationship, the latter are only willing to guarantee continuity if they are satisfied, both economically and in terms of the quality of the work and the environment in which it is carried out. This greater autonomy between the parties is, however, only sustainable if the professional possesses up-to-date skills and thus a strong 'resaleability' on the market.

Engagement and learning must be priorities in corporate strategies: who helps HR managers on this objective?

A survey by Digit'Ed (a professional learning & development platform, ed) identifies three elements valued by most workers for changing companies: flexibility, growth prospects and training. Gallup's experts point to the search for meaning as the main lever for engaging people. As I write in the book, we are in the presence of a new psychological contract between company and worker and we are witnessing new organisational paradigms, profound changes that do not affect the human resources function alone, but the entire organisation as a whole, starting at the top. More and more often we see CEOs spending themselves on social and people management issues, inside and outside the company.

We end with man at the centre: everyone agrees on this paradigm, but how many really work to affirm it? .

Businesses are caught between Scylla and Charybdis. On important issues such as health and welfare they are already playing a role in making up for the shortcomings of the public administration: during the pandemic they were in the front line in guaranteeing the health of citizens and not stopping the country and the entire economic and social system. They can certainly still do a lot, but we must not make the mistake of harbouring excessive expectations, given that we have been witnessing the progressive degradation of basic education for years. The OECD tells us that 46% of Italians are functional illiterates, yet investment in the training of young people is no longer a priority of any political force. It is time for everyone - workers, companies and institutions - to play their part, with commitment and responsibility.