What is loud quitting, and how do you prevent it?

What is loud quitting?

The definition of loud quitting can be thought of as the opposite of quiet quitting. It means that somebody leaves their job loudly and dramatically, as opposed to staying in their role but putting forth minimal effort. Loud quitters will make a scene and make their feelings known bluntly and clearly to other people, from their peers and their leader to the public on social media.

Loud quitters have the power to make a very negative impact on your organization in more ways than one. They can decrease employee morale, stir up conflict and drama, cause other people to engage in loud quitting, and/or damage your organization’s public image. Although quiet quitting isn’t great either, loud quitting represents the worst case scenario that can happen if an employee’s needs are not being met.

There’s about a 1 in 5 chance of it happening on average, according to Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace Report. It’s not something that can be dismissed or ignored because of its potential to harm your business.

Loud quitting happens for a reason – it’s rare that people act out in such a way unless they feel they’ve been mistreated or ignored repeatedly over time. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to understand why loud quitting might happen so that we can take action to prevent situations from reaching that point.

Why does loud quitting happen?

Loud quitting can happen for any reason, but the core of the issue is fundamentally the same as quiet quitting. It sources from disengagement and dissatisfaction in one’s role. Disengagement and dissatisfaction can be caused by any number of factors, including but not limited to:

Stress and burnout

Lack of recognition

Bad company culture

Poor compensation

Unhealthy conflict

Poor communication

Lack of support

Some loud quitters may be quick to pull the trigger, but most commonly, these are people who have experienced one or more issues over a prolonged period of time without ever having them remedied. Preventing loud quitting is actually fairly straightforward; in fact, it may be even more clear cut than preventing quiet quitting.

How do you stop loud quitting?

Preventing loud quitting comes down to three simple steps:

KNOW your employees

LISTEN to your employees

ACT on what your employees say

Knowing your employees takes a lot more than stopping by their desk every once in a while for some small talk. As a leader, you need to understand what motivates them, how you should communicate with them, and who they are, each on an individual level.

Once you truly understand your people, you need to provide them with a safe and secure platform to express their candid thoughts to you about how they feel. They need to be assured that they can express their “last 10%” (things that people might normally hesitate to say out loud for one reason or another) without repercussion, and that you will receive it as nothing more than a useful perspective or piece of information.

Then, the time comes to act based on what your employees tell you. Make a conscious effort to address their concerns directly, and make sure that they see you doing it. Chances are, if they see you are trying, they will appreciate the effort and be patient with you as you navigate your own path to solving the issues they’ve raised.

Preventing quiet quitting really comes down to this. Know your people. Know the issues they face. Take meaningful action to address those issues. They’re the building blocks of a healthy company culture and employee engagement. It’s all connected!

JOE KIEDINGER

ACTION PLAN: Take your first step towards preventing loud quitting by creating a system that enables you to know your employees and what motivates them.

Need help? Looking for solutions? Try Dignify.