What Quiet Quitting Looks Like in Healthcare

In today’s competitive healthcare market, employee turnover is a major problem for hospital executives. While some employees leave in the traditional sense—by handing in their resignation and giving notice—others use a less-conventional method known as “quiet quitting.” This type of turnover can be difficult to detect, making it even more challenging to address. Let’s explore what quiet quitting looks like in healthcare and how to tackle the issue head-on.

What is Quiet Quitting?

Quiet quitting is when employees decide to leave their job without officially resigning or giving any prior notice. Rather than an overt decision, this type of employee turnover is often a gradual process that involves going through the motions at work but not fully engaging with their duties or responsibilities. The employee slowly disengages from the organization over time, until eventually they are no longer present at all.

Why It’s An Issue

Quiet quitting can be a major issue for healthcare organizations because it can be difficult to detect until after the fact. It also means that managers may not have enough time to find a suitable replacement before the employee leaves, leaving them shorthanded until they do so (which can take months). In addition, it can lead to low morale among team members who had become close with the departing employee; their sudden absence can come as a surprise and make existing staff feel like they weren’t valued by the organization.

How To Fix It

The best way to prevent quiet quitting is to focus on creating an environment where employees feel valued and appreciated by their supervisors and co-workers. Leaders should strive to create an open line of communication between themselves and their staff so that employees know they are seen and heard within the organization. Additionally, they should provide frequent feedback on performance so that employees know where they stand with leadership and understand what areas need improvement. Finally, leaders should aim to invest in their team members by providing them with opportunities for professional development, such as offering training seminars or mentorship programs whenever possible.

Quiet quitting is a reality in today’s healthcare industry—but there are ways for hospital executives to combat it proactively rather than reactively by investing in their team members and fostering an environment of inclusion and respect within the workplace. By doing this, executives will ensure that employees remain engaged with their work and committed to supporting patient care long into the future. Ultimately, investing in your workforce now will pay dividends down the road when it comes time for your team members to stay or go quietly or otherwise.