A Human Resources Manager Explains the Small Change That Solved His Company's Quiet Abandonment Problem

Quiet may just be an overrated name for a very old problem - job disengagement - but that doesn't mean it's not a real problem. Recent surveys show that half of employees are "not engaged" at work, another 18% are "actively disengaged", which basically means people who are actively trying to do as little as possible in their work (that's i.e. silent quitters).

While burnout and disengagement are ongoing issues for employers, it seems the disruptions and general burnout of the pandemic have really amplified these issues. What to do about it has been the subject of tons of articles and thoughts.

But perhaps the best way for executives to understand how to solve their silent shutdown problem is to hear from other companies who have implemented effective, real-world solutions. Recently on Quartz, Amy Freeland Johnson, director of human resources at sales tool company Highspot, shared how her company has battled silent abandonment. The whole piece is interesting, but one particular stage of Highspot struck me as both effective and easy to steal from other companies.

What difference can 12 days a year make?

Freeland Johnson kicks things off by acknowledging that the old way to boost employee engagement no longer works. "Google's laundry service and Meta's breakfast buffets were once the most prized perks of the workplace. Now what employees want goes beyond cold-pressed green juice," she writes. . Many recent online discussions confirm that employees are no longer enticed by these kinds of traditional perks.

Instead of a quinoa bar or a nap pod, Highspot opted to change their leave policy. “We implemented a company-wide monthly three-day weekend for all employees. Each month, we required all employees to take a designated Friday off, adding 12 days off additions to the existing unlimited PTO policy," writes Freeland Johnson.

This policy is far less costly and disruptive than a four-day workweek and creates far fewer logistical and cultural issues than problematic "unlimited time off" policies. But according to Freeland Johnson, despite its simplicity, it had a significant impact.

“We immediately saw a change in productivity, energy and morale, which continued throughout the year,” she reports. Annual employee surveys have shown nearly 10% improvement in employees stating that "Highspot motivates me to go above and beyond what I would do in a similar role elsewhere" and a 5% increase in engagement employees.

From a more subjective perspective, Freeland Johnson also notes that "on Mondays, photos of family hikes, candle making, and food tours in New York City fill my News Feed." Highspot employees seem to be making good use of their new perk. No wonder the company decided to make the so-called "Recharge Fridays" permanent.

Give employees what they really want

Some might argue that simply giving employees an extra twelve days of paid time off per year to use any day of the week they choose could have an even greater impact (especially given the offers of incredibly meager holidays from many companies). Makes sense to me, but employees taking long vacations...