Are your factory supervisors quiet quitting? Today we are going to address quiet quitting, but not regarding your team members; we are focusing on your supervisors.
Why Are Your Factory Supervisors Quiet Quitting?
When it comes to quiet quitting, is it simply people slacking off? It could be slacking off, but it is never random. It is often on purpose and deliberate.
The fact is quiet quitting is not just about slacking off on the job. Usually, it is an overall symptom of disengagement. When people are engaged and motivated, they will give:
- Good energy
- Effort
- Enthusiasm
But when those forces are not there, they tend to quiet quit, which means they are still on your payroll but not necessarily delivering on their results.
This becomes a more significant issue if it is in your leadership team and your supervisors.
What It Means To Quiet Quit
Quiet quitting in a job is usually where the employees refuse to take on any extra tasks and do the bare minimum expected of them.
If you are in a supervisor role, you are not putting any energy and enthusiasm into leading your people, setting expectations and setting goals that will drive up performance. Partly because of the pandemic, we noticed that one of our clients had a tough time with their supervisors. The senior managers felt the supervisors were slacking off and not doing their jobs. But when we dug deeper, many supervisors were just burnt out. This can also be attributed to the stress caused by the pandemic, partly from being understaffed and underappreciated.
They perceived that because inflation was rising, the number of increases to their compensation was not reflected in the raises their people were getting. Leaders and employees were becoming more aware that the gap was shrinking, ultimately demotivating the supervisors.
Instead of criticizing them, we encouraged the management team to focus on how to show the supervisors more:
- Appreciation
- Acknowledgment
- Support
It allowed us to change how the supervisor felt they were being treated, which would increase their capabilities and efforts on the job.
How Can You Prevent And Address Quiet Quitters?
Below are a few ways you can deal with factory supervisors quiet quitting.
Tip Number One: Dig Deeper
When you talk to your supervisors one-on-one, you’ll probably get more feedback from them as to what is happening and some of the things causing them to be frustrated and disengaged.
Once you identify some of those issues, then you can start focusing on turning them around. Remember, the goal here is not to make everything unforgettable instantly. It is to show people that you are trying to become more supportive and create a more positive environment where they can do their best and perform.
What do they need to feel more supported? Find that out and deliver on it, and you will have success.
Tip Number Two: Stay Positive
It is tempting to go negative and focus only on the things that are not going well.
Like any team member, they get worn down with constant criticism and being told that what they are doing is not good enough. We need to highlight the gains we are making as we are making things improve going forward and that we are removing frustrations that can make the supervisors’ lives easier and more effective.
Focus and stay positive.
Tip Number Three: Focus On Winning
Now a focus on winning is different than avoiding losing if you can understand the difference.
When we are just trying to whittle away at mistakes and errors, it is never as motivating as when we are focusing on achieving the results that we are going for.
That means each day you are looking to hit your numbers and that we at least acknowledge, it does not even have to be a formal recognition in terms of trophies, awards, or bonuses. But recognizing the things that are going well when we are winning. Do it regularly, not just once in a town hall meeting, but daily as we get our performance numbers up.
Looking At The Next Steps
Once your supervisors see that management is paying attention to the good job that they are doing, you will notice:
- Consistent quality work
- Increased morale and attitude
- Reduction of quiet quitting
- Positive environment
- Increased productivity
After you have addressed factory supervisors quiet quitting, you may recognize there are other areas that you will need to invest in some of the other leadership skills because our leaders need these skills in today’s competitive environment.
That is where our Front Line Leadership comes into play.
You have the option for on-site, enrolling team members in our public workshop, or delivering from our state-of-the-art virtual training studio. This helps when you have a lot of leaders scattered in different production locations.
You can also take advantage of the new Front Line Leadership On-Demand Program, where people can learn at their own pace and implement those new behaviors.
It starts with a conversation. Visit our website at uniquedevelopment.com.
You can also connect with us on many of our social media channels LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
We can discuss how our organization and yours can work together to drive leadership excellence that ultimately drives operating results.
