Here’s something we’ve learned over the past 30 years of helping managers become better at what they do.
We’ve noticed that people can quit in one of 2 ways.
They quit and leave.
Or, they quit and stay.
If they quit and leave, they have gone. Even though it may be challenging to replace them, it’s a clean break and an opportunity for a new beginning for both parties.
If they quit and stay, it’s a lot more complicated.
When people quit and stay, they have basically decided to bring their bodies to work but leave their energy at home.
This quit and stay behavior is quite noticeable and might look like this…
- They do the bare minimum
- They arrive at exactly 9 and leave at 5 (or whatever the stipulated hours of business are)
- They behave like they have no energy
- There is no enthusiasm or sparkle in their eyes
- Their tone can sound disinterested or apathetic
- There appears to be a general lethargy about them
- Productivity goes down
- Morale can tank
If you see this quit and stay behavior, some of the potential causes might be that:
- They feel or think they are not being listened to
- They have not been heard
- They are not being valued
- They are not being cared for
- They are not being supported
- They are not growing
- They are not being grown
Essentially, this means that management is not being effective.
For more details on the causes of Quit and Stay behavior, you might enjoy the following blogs…
https://btmgmt.net/why-people-dont-do-what-you-want-them-to-do-part-1-motivation/
https://btmgmt.net/why-people-dont-do-what-you-want-them-to-do-part-2-skills-andor-knowledge/
https://btmgmt.net/why-people-dont-do-what-you-want-them-to-do-part-3-goals-andor-communication/
https://btmgmt.net/why-people-dont-do-what-you-want-them-to-do-part-4-organizational-issues/