The Youthful Trend Of Conscious Quitting

Staggeringly, in 2021, 75 per cent of all adults in the United Kingdom were concerned about the effects of global climate change, whilst 20 per cent didn’t consider their workplaces to be inclusive or diverse. These ethical values clearly show the impact of an employee's relationship with their organisation and their attitudes to providing a morally-driven environment.

If an employee decides that a company does not align with their own ideals and values, they may decide that they cannot morally remain part of the organisation and support contradictory values. This could lead to the worker resigning to pursue employment with a company that shares the same values. 

What Is The Impact?

Recruiting and retaining workers is costly and time-consuming, which could cause even more issues. A recent survey conducted by the Net Positive Barometer shows that almost 50 per cent of workers in the United Kingdom will resign from their jobs if the company they work for does not align with their values. Almost all of this segment would like their employers to commit to initiatives for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), to prove their similar ideals. Furthermore, 20 per cent of those surveyed reported that they had declined a job offer because they felt the company did not share the same ESG values. As a result, the inability to recruit new hires or the conscious quitting of current employees will negatively affect the company's hiring and retention rates and costs.

Preventing Conscious Quitting 

Communication is key. It’s surprisingly common that employees are not aware of their employer's sustainability goals, ESG initiatives or perspective on diversity and equality. Without clear policies and handbooks that outline these values and encourage staff to engage, potential employees may misinterpret this as the company not having any mutual values. Employers should communicate these initiatives during recruitment drives and interviews, allowing candidates to understand the company's values before they join and allowing employers to see if the applicants are the ideal culture fit. Encouraging applicants and employees to read and understand the company's policies, attitudes and goals is prudent.

If the company has no such environment, sustainability or inclusion and diversity policies in place, it's worth exploring specific initiatives to ensure they are integrated into company culture and align with employee expectations. It could mean introducing carbon neutrality goals, sustainable behaviours, and health and wellbeing initiatives and ensuring they are enshrined within the company ethos and values. 

A plethora of new terms has been bandied around the workplace since the onset of the pandemic, such as 'the great resignation' and 'quiet quitting'. The term 'conscious quitting' seems to be part of the new challenging workplace vocabulary. Comprehensive data from various surveys and reports suggest that employees will resign from their jobs if there is a lack of ESG protocols and environmental values. Most workers are concerned for the planet's future and society, and insist that employers do more for the shared environment. The youth is strengthening their commitment to environmental and social causes. KPMG revealed that 82 per cent of UK workers place great importance on shared corporate values, and 20 per cent actively turn down jobs they deem lacking.

The buzzword stems from ethical and moral concerns rather than limited growth opportunities or job dissatisfaction in the workplace. Data shows that gen Z and millennials are leaving their places of work, and conscious quitting is becoming increasingly widespread and is taking business owners by surprise. It is described as a perma-crisis. The world is already faced with troubling issues such as global warming, economic turmoil, social division, wars and pandemics which intrinsically threaten the stability and the future. Workers increasingly opt to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

How To Prevent Conscious Quitting

1. Create an environment that is motivating and supportive
2. Companies should align their environmental, social and governance initiatives to those of their workers
3. Encourage team members to work together and build an inclusive sense of camaraderie
4. Ensure the entire company has a clear understanding of team objectives and goals
5. Make sure that a culture of communication is encouraged with honest and transparent dialogue 
6. Introduce training programmes to certify workers and ensure that they are equipped to do their jobs
7. Introduce recognition and rewards practices to help motivate engagement and commitment
8. Regularly solicit feedback so that employees can have their say and see that their ideas and opinions matter

Conscious quitting is a mindful decision rooted in the idea that life and the planet are finite and about recognising when outdated ideas no longer serve millennials or generation Z employees. Despite conscious quitting being a complex and emotional process with feelings of anxiety, regret and guilt, it brings joy, growth and empowerment when space is made for employees to pursue new passions and experiences and be free from ideas and values that no longer serve them.

Conscious quitting allows the new generation of workers to make room for employment, morals and ethics that are true to their values to create the life they want. It allows employees to make better decisions, reduce stress, live healthier, and be more mindful of their thoughts and feelings for a positive and fulfilling future.