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Quiet Quitting: What to Know & Why Business Owners Need to Stop Calling It a “Problem”

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Quiet Quitting: What to Know & Why Business Owners Need to Stop Calling It a “Problem”

It seems like just yesterday ‘The Great Resignation’ was the biggest phenomenon being experienced and discussed across virtually every industry. Now, however, there is a whole new trend happening in the workplace that is swiftly gaining traction with employees: quiet quitting. Countless news outlets are currently abuzz with this topic, and many business owners are now wondering what this movement is all about. A lot of company leaders are also labeling “quiet quitting” a “problem” and trying to figure out how to prevent it from happening in their enterprise.

Are you worried about quiet quitting happening in your own business? Do you want to know the signs that your employee is quiet quitting and what it means? Well, in my own journey as the co-founder and Operating Partner of CiteMed, I have seen other business leaders in my network experience quiet quitting in their own enterprise. Here is what to know about this movement and where the “problem” actually lies:

What Exactly is Quiet Quitting?

Let me say this first: quiet quitting has always been seen in the workforce — it just wasn’t a popular topic until a TikToker posted a video about it that went viral in July 2022. In the video, he says that when you quiet quit, you don’t outright quit your job; you just quit the idea of going above and beyond at work, as your life isn’t defined by your work output. So basically, when an employee quiet quits, they perform the duties they are being paid to do but don’t take on additional projects or responsibilities, strive to over-achieve, or allow their work to cause them any stress in their personal lives.

Signs an Employee Has Opted to Quiet Quit

It is quite easy to tell if your employee has quiet quit at work. Do they log off their computers or leave the office at the exact same time every day? Do they refuse to work more than the eight hours a day they were hired to do, even if projects are not yet complete? Do you ever ask them to take on additional tasks and they flat out tell you “no” without explaining why? Do they show no interest in team bonding activities outside of work hours? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then your employee has likely quiet quit.

How the COVID-19 Pandemic Boosted the Quiet Quitting Phenomenon

While quiet quitting has always been apparent in the workforce, I definitely believe that it has increased since the pandemic began. This is because the pandemic forced employees to stay at home for long periods of time, which gave them a lot more time to reevaluate their lives and what they consider to be the most important for their overall fulfillment. They also have seen their peers join the Great Resignation that stemmed from the pandemic, which showed them that they too are not stuck in the companies they work for.

Employees are now in the driver’s seat and know companies are desperate to prevent the high turnover that is seen in virtually every industry. So these employees know they can work the minimum they are expected to work without being fired.

Are Certain Age Cohorts More Likely to Quiet Quit Than Others?

Gen Z and millennials are definitely more susceptible to quiet quit than older generations. This is because they are much more connected on social media networks, where they are heavily influenced by others who post their journeys of quiet quitting and finding paths towards greater life fulfillment. Older generations will stay and grow with the same company for decades because they place high importance on security and comfort, while Gen Zers and millennials have no issue leaving jobs that don’t make them feel fulfilled.

How Quiet Quitting Varies Between Work Operation Models

Remote workers are much more susceptible to quiet quit than in-person employees. This is because those who work from home can easily turn off their laptops or computers for the day once the clock hits 5pm, while in-person employees can have trouble saying “no” when their bosses ask them face-to-face if they can work late. Also, in-person employees can be influenced to work longer hours when they see their coworkers also working longer hours.

STOP Calling Quiet Quitting a “Problem”

While I believe that quiet quitting is very apparent all over the workforce right now, I wouldn’t label it a “problem”. Employees are just standing up for their rights and ensuring they are not being taken advantage of by the businesses and large corporations they work for. And why should employees be expected to work more and take on more projects than they are being paid to do? Why should they “go above and beyond” for companies that don’t compensate them for it?

Quiet quitting isn’t the problem — the main issue is these businesses that think it’s fine to overwork their employees without giving them a pay raise. This is what causes a major drop in employee morale and costly turnover for businesses. Employees want to work for businesses that care about them. Thus, the real changes need to happen in the companies’ operations — if projects will require longer hours or more manpower, businesses should hire a contractor or give their employees a pay raise to incentivize them to take on the extra work.

Find the Opportunity When an Employee Quiet Quits

Staff members are the backbone of a company, and their wellbeing should be of utmost importance to any business leader. Quiet quitting is an employee’s way of ensuring that they can maintain a healthy work-life balance while still doing the required work they are being paid to do. That said, if you notice that a staff member is showing any of the aforementioned signs of quiet quitting, this can be a real opportunity to enact positive change in your enterprise and enhance employee loyalty across your whole organization.

For example, quiet quitting can be a sign that you are not giving your staff members enough opportunities to level up their careers with exciting promotions and associated pay increases. Providing these opportunities can really enhance your employees’ morale and pique their interest in excelling in their positions and growing with your company.

Or, quiet quitting can be a sign that your work culture has become stale and boring, which could lead to other staff members actually flat out quitting to pursue positions at other companies. So it would be in your best interest to set up fun events and employee engagement initiatives that will help create a positive culture in your enterprise.

To Wrap It All Up

Quiet quitting is a major movement happening in workplaces across virtually every industry. However, rather than calling it a “problem”, it can be a major indicator of issues in a company’s overall operations and culture. So quiet quitting really presents an opportunity for business leaders to enact positive change in their enterprise.

Author’s Bio

Ethan Drower is the Co-Founder and Operating Partner of CiteMed, which is revolutionizing the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) process. Literature Search and Review is the cornerstone of medical device companies’ Clinical Evaluation Report, and CiteMed has made this process more streamlined and optimized than ever. The CiteMed team was formed to deliver a high volume of beautifully written and formatted Literature Reviews on timelines that will enable companies to meet their EU MDR goals. CiteMed’s top goal is to help companies get their medical products to market as quickly as possible, all while maintaining state-of-the-art compliance with the European Commission regulations. A renowned business expert, Ethan educates others on the fundamentals of launching a successful software product, tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, and more. www.citemedical.com

6 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Launching a New Software Program

In the business arena, software remains one of the fastest growing categories of startups today — and for good reason! The scalability of software, and it’s unique ability to serve one or one million users, makes it the ideal weapon of choice for entrepreneurs looking to make a big impact.

Ethan Drower, In her 10+ years as a software developer and as co-founder and Operating Partner of CiteMed, has built her own software, hired teams, and worked for teams hell-bent on creating “the next big thing”. From apps, to Software as a Service, she has hit major pitfalls, completely failed, and even found her way into some successful companies.

She has shared some of the mistakes young lads that are about to come into the software industry make. Are you thinking of bringing your own software platform to market and want some helpful advice? If so, here is a highlight reel of the top mistakes that plague most young and ambitious software entrepreneurs. she personally made many of these mistakes and can attest to their severity.

If you are thinking about building something, struggling to find the best product market fit, or are fighting it out in the marketplace already, it’s imperative to avoid these key mistakes.

Not Choosing Your Market Wisely

Most software startups are doomed from the start, simply because their founders have chosen a bad market. Bad markets can be too competitive, or too empty (no real paying users). So when you are picking a market to enter with your software idea, make sure of two things: first, that your product can compete (don’t try and build a competitor to Facebook), and second, make sure that there will be paying customers or advertisers to pitch what you end up building to.

Not Building a REAL Minimum Viable Product

It’s all too tempting to set out with a features/functionality list that rivals the top competitors in your space. However, you are wasting your time and resources if you are waiting to build the perfect product before launching.

It’s (now) common Silicon Valley wisdom to launch a version of your software that you are a little embarrassed by. This is sage advice and should be heeded. The reality is, until you get feedback from real users and customers, you won’t be able to know exactly what to build. So take a guess of what that may be, build the fastest/quickest/dirtiest version of that guess, and then go out there and try and get people to use it.

Not Knowing Who Your Target User Is

While you may not know exactly what to build, you should have a very strong notion of who you are building it for. To do this, construct a detailed “avatar” of your ideal user.  Who are they? Where do they work? What do they do for fun? Why would they need your software? The more you understand your target user (and their problems), the better your software product will turn out. You can add functionalities and more that they would really find valuable.

Underestimating Your Budget

If you are in the more traditional “startup” and venture capital world, this translates into one thing: raise enough money. If you are a bootstrapper and self financed, this is even more critical to building your product. In my experience, I have found that software tends to take twice the time and (at least) twice the budget of whatever a professional or development team quotes you. As much as I hate to admit it, this is just the way it always seems to work out.

So when you set out to hire developers and build a team, be sure that you have enough capital to actually get a product out into the marketplace. If not, you will end up with a half-finished project, and shattered nerves.

Cheaping Out on Developers

When you do manage to find the budget, be sure that you aren’t just attracted to the cheapest bids from offshore development companies. Yes, while an $8/hour developer may seem attractive on paper, I assure you that they will end up costing you more in lost time, poor craftsmanship, and headaches down the line.

Pick good developers, and if you don’t know the difference, hire someone to pick them for you (let me tell you, a good Chief Technology Officer (CTO) co-founder is worth their weight in gold).

Not Having a Techie In Your Corner

While a CTO is not essential, working with one does eliminate the vast majority of problems that non-technical founders ultimately face in the building and launching of software products. They also significantly reduce your initial costs if they can write a large portion of the code themselves. If you can’t find a suitable co-founder that’s a programmer, simply having a friend or trusted advisor in your network to vet ideas and hire developers is well worth the effort to secure.

Waiting to Launch

Waiting until things are “perfect” is one of the biggest mistakes I have made in my software career. The truth is, your software will never be perfect. And by waiting, you are losing out on the most precious asset of all startups: real user feedback.

To combat this, instead of waiting to launch, launch immediately but with a very fast system in place to hear about and fix bugs. For example, you can set up an email address that all of your users can be instructed to send problems to, a phone number directly to you, or a live chat box.  The important thing is that users have an easy way to complain to you.

The second part of this is a way to quickly fix things. This is more of a challenge for your development team, but be sure that your developers have the capacity to fix things and get it to your customers immediately without a complex process of updating your software.

To Wrap It All Up

Congratulations on starting the journey of bringing new software to market! Make sure to avoid some of the most common mistakes that plague new software entrepreneurs, which include not choosing the market wisely, underestimating the budget, being cheap when selecting developers to work with, and waiting to launch. Avoiding these blunders should help your entrepreneurial endeavor be nothing short of successful.

Ethan Drower is the Co-Founder and Operating Partner of CiteMed, which is revolutionizing the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) process. Literature Search and Review is the cornerstone of medical device companies’ Clinical Evaluation Report, and CiteMed has made this process more streamlined and optimized than ever. The CiteMed team was formed to deliver a high volume of beautifully written and formatted Literature Reviews on timelines that will enable companies to meet their EU MDR goals. CiteMed’s top goal is to help companies get their medical products to market as quickly as possible, all while maintaining state-of-the-art compliance with the European Commission regulations. A renowned business expert, Ethan educates others on the fundamentals of launching a successful software product, tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, and more. www.citemedical.com

software

7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Launching a New Software Program

In the business arena, software remains one of the fastest-growing categories of startups today — and for good reason! The scalability of software, and it’s unique ability to serve one or one million users, makes it the ideal weapon of choice for entrepreneurs looking to make a big impact.
In my 10+ years as a software developer and as the co-founder and Operating Partner of CiteMed, I have built my own software, hired teams, and worked for teams hell-bent on creating “the next big thing”. From apps, to Software as a Service, I have hit major pitfalls, completely failed, and even found my way into some successful companies.
Are you thinking of bringing your own software platform to market and want some helpful advice? If so, here is a highlight reel of the top mistakes that plague most young and ambitious software entrepreneurs. I personally made many of these mistakes and can attest to their severity.
If you are thinking about building something, struggling to find the best product market fit, or are fighting it out in the marketplace already, it’s imperative to avoid these key mistakes.
Not Choosing Your Market Wisely
Most software startups are doomed from the start, simply because their founders have chosen a bad market. Bad markets can be too competitive, or too empty (no real paying users). So when you are picking a market to enter with your software idea, make sure of two things: first, that your product can compete (don’t try and build a competitor to Facebook), and second, make sure that there will be paying customers or advertisers to pitch what you end up building to.
Not Building a REAL Minimum Viable Product
It’s all too tempting to set out with a features/functionality list that rivals the top competitors in your space. However, you are wasting your time and resources if you are waiting to build the perfect product before launching.
It’s (now) common Silicon Valley wisdom to launch a version of your software that you are a little embarrassed by. This is sage advice and should be heeded. The reality is, until you get feedback from real users and customers, you won’t be able to know exactly what to build. So take a guess of what that may be, build the fastest/quickest/dirtiest version of that guess, and then go out there and try and get people to use it.
Not Knowing Who Your Target User Is
While you may not know exactly what to build, you should have a very strong notion of who you are building it for. To do this, construct a detailed “avatar” of your ideal user.  Who are they? Where do they work? What do they do for fun? Why would they need your software? The more you understand your target user (and their problems), the better your software product will turn out. You can add functionalities and more that they would really find valuable.
Underestimating Your Budget
If you are in the more traditional “startup” and venture capital world, this translates into one thing: raise enough money. If you are a bootstrapper and self financed, this is even more critical to building your product. In my experience, I have found that software tends to take twice the time and (at least) twice the budget of whatever a professional or development team quotes you. As much as I hate to admit it, this is just the way it always seems to work out.
So when you set out to hire developers and build a team, be sure that you have enough capital to actually get a product out into the marketplace. If not, you will end up with a half-finished project, and shattered nerves.
Cheaping Out on Developers
When you do manage to find the budget, be sure that you aren’t just attracted to the cheapest bids from offshore development companies. Yes, while an $8/hour developer may seem attractive on paper, I assure you that they will end up costing you more in lost time, poor craftsmanship, and headaches down the line.
Pick good developers, and if you don’t know the difference, hire someone to pick them for you (let me tell you, a good Chief Technology Officer (CTO) co-founder is worth their weight in gold).
Not Having a Techie In Your Corner
While a CTO is not essential, working with one does eliminate the vast majority of problems that non-technical founders ultimately face in the building and launching of software products. They also significantly reduce your initial costs if they can write a large portion of the code themselves. If you can’t find a suitable co-founder that’s a programmer, simply having a friend or trusted advisor in your network to vet ideas and hire developers is well worth the effort to secure.
Waiting to Launch
Waiting until things are “perfect” is one of the biggest mistakes I have made in my software career. The truth is, your software will never be perfect. And by waiting, you are losing out on the most precious asset of all startups: real user feedback.
To combat this, instead of waiting to launch, launch immediately but with a very fast system in place to hear about and fix bugs. For example, you can set up an email address that all of your users can be instructed to send problems to, a phone number directly to you, or a live chat box.  The important thing is that users have an easy way to complain to you.
The second part of this is a way to quickly fix things. This is more of a challenge for your development team, but be sure that your developers have the capacity to fix things and get it to your customers immediately without a complex process of updating your software.
To Wrap It All Up
Congratulations on starting the journey of bringing new software to market! Make sure to avoid some of the most common mistakes that plague new software entrepreneurs, which include not choosing the market wisely, underestimating the budget, being cheap when selecting developers to work with, and waiting to launch. Avoiding these blunders should help your entrepreneurial endeavor be nothing short of successful.
_____________________________________________________________
Ethan Drower is the Co-Founder and Operating Partner of CiteMed, which is revolutionizing the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) process. Literature Search and Review is the cornerstone of medical device companies’ Clinical Evaluation Report, and CiteMed has made this process more streamlined and optimized than ever. The CiteMed team was formed to deliver a high volume of beautifully written and formatted Literature Reviews on timelines that will enable companies to meet their EU MDR goals. CiteMed’s top goal is to help companies get their medical products to market as quickly as possible, all while maintaining state-of-the-art compliance with the European Commission regulations. A renowned business expert, Ethan educates others on the fundamentals of launching a successful software product, tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, and more.www.citemedical.com