Motivation factors and reasons behind quiet quitting appear to vary among individuals. Extended working hours, low pay, lack of flexible hours and workspaces are some of the reasons behind the rise of the trend. Similar to the ‘The Great Resignation’ – a phenomenon calling out toxic work cultures, Quiet Quitting addresses disengaged employees, proving that employee experience is becoming a top priority for organizations. Nowadays, employees demand engagement, communication, respect and work-life balance. Failure to fulfill these basic expectations results in disinterest and loss of passion – one of the primary reasons for Quiet Quitting.

On the brighter side, there are steps that can be taken by organizations and leaders to address the root causes of quiet quitting.

Make Employee Experience Your No. 1 Priority

Organizations are now acknowledging the importance of creating lasting and meaningful emotional connections between the employee and their employer. Employee experience has become a key aspect of all businesses and covers various aspects of how an organisation engages with their employees.

To elevate the workplace experience employers are now looking at re-imagining the overall build and operations of their workspaces. With a focus on creating a space where employees can network, collaborate and even break away from the monotony of everyday work, several organizations have shifted focus from mundane commercial spaces to flexible and managed offices that meet the needs of today’s employees. It’s a long journey for traditional organizations with vintage infrastructure and haphazard hiring practices, but the growth of flexible workspaces aid organizations in bringing about change at an accelerated pace.

Gallup defines engaged employees as those who are highly involved and enthusiastic about their work and workplaces with only 21% of the global workforce belonging to this category. Bringing this number up will only be possible with an inviting workspace and an encouraging work culture that helps employees learn, grow and evolve.

Avoid Employee Turnover

Retaining good, reliable resources to build a dependable team is essential because the cost of replacing an employee is extremely high for organizations. Thus, businesses must try to avoid employee turnover – the rate at which employees leave a company within a set period of time, in order to minimize expenses. The best way to do this is by recognizing, investing in and communicating with your employees.

Acknowledge Employee Concerns

Employees feel valued when their concerns are acknowledged with appropriate measures of improvement. Not addressing employee concerns can result in larger issues like Moonlighting and Quiet Firing – two other workplace trends that are attracting attention.

These trends are a result of disengaged employees that are either disinterested in work or stressed because of it. Workplace stress is another major concern that affects the physical and mental health of employees. It also shows in their performance and overall enthusiasm. Managing work stress is essential to avoid a burnout.  

Improve Employee Engagement

A great way to ensure that your employees are happy is to keep them engaged. Gallup’s employee engagement research conducted over 50 years concludes that engaged employees produce better business outcomes across industry, company size and nationality.

However, there’s a lot of room for improvement in this realm. Creating an open communication system that enables employees to voice their concerns can benefit multifold. It is also a good idea to setup an Employee Recognition Program (ERP) – a systematic process to reward employee achievements. To learn more about creating a powerful ERP click here.

Conclusion

Gone are the days when employees would be pleased with just good remuneration. For today’s working professionals, recognition, respect and relationship at their workplace are equally important. This comes when their ideas and opinions matter, making them feel valued.

At CoWrks, we believe in creating workspaces where you can be yourself and make the most out your day at work. Located in Noida Sector 62, CoWrks Noida offers a flexible workspace with an open floor plan that makes it easy to collaborate with other employees. The centre is easily accessible, making commuting a breeze.

With superior connectivity to all important addresses in the National Capital Region and proximity to retail, entertainment, dining and residential spots this centre will provide your employees with the comfort and convenience they deserve.

The campus style development of Candor TechSpace also nurtures community culture with a retail hub, food court and recreational spaces that bring employees closer to the workspace.

Why Noida?

The location of your business is an important factor to consider. Noida is a city that has been steadily growing and evolving over the last few years. With an abundance of opportunities and a perfect blend of business-friendly policies, this is the place to set up your operations.

The hub for software developing companies and financial service providers, Noida is also evolving as the city of choice for many small business owners and start-ups. Well-developed infrastructure, efficient connectivity, and relaxed government norms are some of the core reasons to consider setting up your operations in Noida.

Built for the future of work

Spread across 30,000 sq.ft of commercial real estate, CoWrks Noida features 450 desks with several workspace options to choose from. Whether you’re an individual or enterprise looking for a space to set up your business, CoWrks’ workspace solutions will help you find the most apt solution to suit your needs.

We understand the importance of hybrid working and the need for individuals and employees to be more agile while running their business. CoWrks Day Pass gives you access to our workspace in Noida for a day, week or more! Choose a flexible way of working, with the CoWrks Day Pass Bundle that helps you save up to 15%! If you’re looking for a more permanent set up, CoWrks’ flexible and dedicated desk solutions provide you with a desk that you can call your own! Built for businesses of all sizes, CoWrks’ private studios provide your business with the privacy of a dedicated space to operate from, while making the most of the vibrant community culture.

Whether you’re an individual or business, CoWrks Noida is the workspace of the future that allows you and your business to thrive! Walk into the next with CoWrks Noida.

Quality remuneration with benefits like medical insurance, maternity leave and timely bonuses are certainly attractive but are also the basic benefits an organisation of good repute must offer. However, an effective employee recognition program that recognises the employees’ efforts is appealing. Meaningful praise, monetary rewards and physical gifts/gift vouchers can play a significant role in uplifting the spirits of your staff and motivating them further. The result? Higher employee retention and lower cases of burnout that translate into a win-win situation for both employer and employee. An EconomicTimes.com article states that embracing a culture of recognition is vital to meet all your employees’ needs and bring positive energy into the workplace that’ll increase the company’s performance and profits.

What is an Effective ERP?

An employee recognition program or ERP is a well-defined, systematic process created to reward employees’ achievement and success. A GreatPlacetoWork.com blog simplifies this as ‘all the ways the organisation shows its appreciation for employees’ contribution’. This may not particularly be monetary compensation but any form of reward such as a gift, a personal thank you note, a shout-out on a common forum or even a day off that’ll reinforce positive behaviour and make the employee feel special. A company-wide employee recognition program (ERP) is the cornerstone of efficient employee management playing a vital role in making the employee feel valued. Positive affirmations can do wonders for our morale, mental health and well-being and even boosts efficiency. A Harvard Business Review research proved how a little recognition goes a long way in making the employee feel more valued and supported by the organisation, resulting in several positive impacts such as well-being, intrinsic motivation and a heightened sense of belonging.

But what if it’s not working?

As the head of an organisation, if you’ve suddenly experienced high attrition on the pretext of finding better opportunities, it’s time to evaluate your company’s ERP.

How to improve your current ERP?

Creating an impactful ERP doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Today’s employees want to feel respected, valued and appreciated at their workplace. A strong recognition program will result in content employees, enabling HR to recruit and retain the best talent. It is also essential to make timely updates to your ERP to ensure that it continues to stay relevant and serves its purpose.

Considering that your employees are your most valuable resource, you must spend time creating an honest and thoughtful ERP that motivates and rewards employees beyond material incentives. The website BetterTeam.com, a web-based recruitment management system, suggests taking a holistic approach to understand the types of recognition such as public recognition, private recognition, recognition that results in promotion and recognition that leads to better remuneration. To improve your current ERP, try and include most of these recognition types if not all.

Here are some powerful tips that’ll help:

1. Recognise people from all areas of operations: Several times, ERPs end up recognising only a certain section of the workforce, maybe that which brings business or which interacts with clients on a day-to-day basis. However, your organisation consists of support staff too that works in the background to enable smooth day-to-day functioning. Enhance your ERP by making provisions to recognise all these people too. This will make the program more effective.
2. Provide opportunities for professional growth: As professionals, we all yearn for career advancement.To make your ERP more efficient, provide advanced training and career development opportunities as part of the program. This will make it more enticing to people who are keen on learning and growing.  
3. Magnify it: Any recognition becomes 10x more impactful when people know about it. So magnify internal recognitions across company forums such as newsletters, dashboards and meetings. Publicising the recognition will make the employee feel special and important.
4. Reward their efforts: Employees who’ve performed consistently beyond the call of duty must be rewarded for their diligence. Give them special privileges that’ll also act as an example for others to follow in their footsteps. A paid leave, a new hi-tech office laptop, a dedicated parking spot, a free lunch etc. will all serve as motivators for their continued efforts.
5. Initiate employee engagement activities: It is tougher to leave an organisation where you’ve made friends which will benefit the organisation with higher retention. Upgrade your ERP by including employee engagement activities with interesting rewards that’ll enable employees to interact with one another. This will add an element of fun to the program and instil in them the feeling of belonging that’s tougher to shrug off.   
6. Recognise even in times of lull: As a leader, you must be consistent and recognise the efforts of your employees even in times of slow growth. This will help instil their faith in the system. The rewards may not be huge but some form of gratification will surely go a long way in building employee trust.
7. Collaborate with external partners: Make your reward system exciting by collaborating with external partners such as restaurants, brands, hotels or co-working spaces like CoWrks for interesting services that’ll be useful for the employees and their families. This will stimulate their urge to be recognised, inspiring them to work harder.

Lastly, keep in mind that an effective recognition program must be specific, frequent, visible, inclusive and value-based. This makes it more meaningful and helps teams collaborate toward the common goal of company growth.

This is where sustainable practices come into play. Many enterprises are taking the conscious route through green business practices such as using renewable energy and creating zero waste products, to build a business that thrives on sustainable solutions. These businesses are redefining the paradigm and transforming the way we do business in the post-pandemic era that faces a real and ready threat due to climate change.

The UN-backed SME Climate Hub conducted a survey that revealed that to prevent the worst effects of climate change and meet global targets laid out in the Paris agreement, SMEs or small and medium-sized enterprises must reduce their carbon emissions. SMEs are classified as those with less than 500 employees whose impact may not seem threatening in solitary but when combined, the results from this category are sizable with them making up 90% of business worldwide. An Economic Times report states how in India alone, there are over 60 million microbusinesses and SMEs that employ over 110 million people. Noticeably then this sector can bring about concrete changes.

SMEs that supply to larger enterprises and corporations can also witness various short and long-term advantages with environmentally-focussed investments. According to the Green Energy Advice Bureau, improved efficiency, reduced operating costs and lower business risks are some of the most applauded benefits of implementing sustainable practices. Here we’ve listed down the sustainable practices SMEs can adopt to leverage its long-term benefits.

• Practice: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Using the 3R theory of reduce, reuse and recycle is an effective sustainable solution. Several businesses have consciously begun to reduce waste such as paper, water and energy with innovative initiatives, new technologies and interesting energy management solutions that not only boost profits but also optimise operations.

In 2021, Prasar Bharati went paperless and adopted 100% e-office operations, as per this ZeeBiz report. A move that resulted in saving their expenditure on paper by 45% apart from reducing their carbon footprint. Reusing or sharing resources with other organisations is another substantial method of bringing down your environment impact.  And finally, recycling items so that you can continue to use them further is a great way to keep things from getting wasted. Coca-Cola’s ‘World Without Waste’ global initiative aims to recycle every bottle or can that it sells globally by 2030 according to this FinancialExpress article while Heineken recycled millions of pints of unsold beer into green gas, reports BeverageDaily.com. These are excellent examples of recycling to create a sustainable ecosystem. While these are all large conglomerates, the principle of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle can benefit SMEs immensely. The key is to cut down the waste that goes into landfills.

• Promote Remote Work

The pandemic has proved that remote work is a viable option without disruptions. This is great for SMEs who can function seamlessly without a central office and hire talent without geographical barriers. This saves the organisation the costs of stocking, lighting and cooling/heating a workplace while it helps employees save resources on their daily commute to the office thus reducing their carbon footprint.

According to this Economic Times article, many Indian companies like NoBroker, Magicpin, Meesho and ITC Infotech are embracing ‘work from anywhere’ to provide more flexibility, encourage better work-life balance and lower their operational costs. The article also states that real estate startup Flyhomes has given employees the flexibility to either be fully remote or work in a hybrid model. For companies that have adopted the hybrid model of work, partnering with a co-working space like CoWrks that shares your sustainability goals is ideal. As an organisation, you can simply direct employees to your co-working partner for when you need them to function out of the office or conduct in-person meetings. Using a co-working space is also a step towards sustainability as all resources are shared making it less wasteful.

• Use sustainable products

As a ground rule, use only sustainable products for the day-to-day functioning of your workspace. Printer paper, cleaning supplies, notepads or even tissue papers – everything you use, must be made in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. This will shrink your carbon footprint tremendously. Green cleaners made of natural ingredients are easily available while recycled paper can also be acquired effortlessly. Use energy-efficient appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators that are green-certified for increased efficiency, lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduced water usage. According to SmallBusiness.chron.com, there are several benefits of businesses using sustainable products and the most important of them all is cost-effectiveness. Simple changes like upgrading to LED lights and smart thermostats, taking advantage of natural lighting and providing the staff with laptops instead of desktops can bring down both your costs and carbon footprint by a large number.

• Be vocal for local

Importing items from across the world is time-consuming and resource-intensive with huge costs to the environment. A Forbes.com article states that the most suitable solution to this is to use local substitutes available around you. As an entrepreneur, you must look beyond the obvious for suitable but local options that work for your business. This comes with many benefits such as lower risks due to climatic change, helping the local community, reduced wastage, saving natural resources and more.

Indian consumers too are inclined towards locally-produced goods that have a lower impact on the environment. As per a BusinessInsider.in report, around 45% of Indians switched to buying locally-grown produce since the pandemic.

• Create a green space

Invest in creating a green space where you and your team can unwind while solidifying your company’s commitment to sustainability. This serves as a mode of practising what you preach that will be appreciated by employees.

Real estate developers too are focusing more on sustainability now as nearly one-third of total office spaces in six major Indian cities have been certified as green buildings according to this EconomicTimes.com article. While creating a green space is a step towards sustainability it also helps to partner with other green businesses. Look for vendors that are carbon-neutral and support other businesses that are striving to reduce their ecological footprint.

These steps are great starters for SMEs to make the switch to sustainability with long-term benefits not only to their businesses but to our ecosystem as well.  

According to a Forbes interview, Jeff Bezos is famous for leaving an empty chair at the conference table and letting the meeting attendees know that it is occupied by “the most important person in the room” – customer. Keeping the customer at the centre of every decision can be challenging for any business, but Amazon makes it impossible to forget.

Simply put, “customer-centricity” is a business strategy that involves taking steps to be in your customers’ shoes and act accordingly.

Taking a customer-centric approach is more than just a feel-good mantra for organizations today. It has, in fact, increasingly become a core business requirement! A customer-centric focus can help boost revenues, build loyalty, drive performance, and increase efficiency. All of this plays an instrumental role in having an edge over competitors. If this approach is embedded in your organisation’s DNA, it can at the same time, lead to sustainable profitability.

As per a Deloitte & Touche study, businesses that implement a customer-centric strategy are 60% more profitable than their competitors.

So, let’s dive into the importance of applying a customer-centric approach to your business:

Makes the consumer journey highly satisfying:-

Only when you think from a customer’s perspective, will you be able to maximize customer satisfaction for your own brand. Think about what makes you re-purchase from your favourite brands over the others. The primary reason you may choose to do business with them is how they made you feel at every funnel of the consumer journey. They connect with you through your preferred channels of communication, ensure that they are aligned with your modes of payment, and even bring to you deals and discounts that you earnestly look forward to.

Whether it is awareness, consideration or decision, every stage of the consumer journey with your brand will benefit from applying a customer-centric approach. The reward for establishing this approach is customer retention and brand loyalty.

One of the best examples of a brand implementing a customer-centric approach and maximizing customer satisfaction through this approach, is boAt. The consumer electronics brand successfully managed to build its customer loyalty – a community famously known as boAtheads, and increased its customer base from 0.8 million in 2018 to 2 million by 2020.

Improves brand efficacy by working on constructive feedback:-

Customer feedback is the Holy Grail of any business, simply because it is impossible to cater to customers’ needs and demands without knowing them in the first place. As per a study by Microsoft, 52% of people globally believe that businesses need to take action on feedback provided by their consumers. Whether it’s good or bad, working on constructive feedback can be the first step towards transforming your business into a customer-centric company set up for growth and success.

If you listen to your customers, you are more likely to put them at the centre of your business decisions, which eventually makes it easier to retain existing customers as well as acquire new ones.

It is through customer feedback that Uber ensures only the best drivers stay on the road. Hence, one of the top things Uber drivers care about is their ratings. Mainly because, if customers keep rating them poorly, they may end up getting in trouble with the car service. Due to this customer-centric approach, Uber makes sure the most respectful riders and drivers are a part of the company.

Creates a unique customer experience by building trust and loyalty:-

Did you know? A mere 5% increase in customer retention can boost your company’s revenue by 25-95%.

Customers that have already seen value in your brand and have had a good experience purchasing/ using your products, are more likely to trust you again with their time and money. Thus, they are entitled to expect the same level of trust and commitment after every purchase. This is why customer retention efforts from your brand’s customer service team are crucial.

While the quality of your product or service plays a big role in acquiring customers, support plays a bigger role when it comes to fostering customer relationships. You end up building loyal customers when delighting and retaining them becomes your priority. Moreover, it also opens up a new stream of brand advocates–who further recommend your products and services to their peers, thus, elevating your brand reputation through word-of-mouth marketing.

Helps understand customer demands:-

Whether you are a business owner or overseeing business operations for a company, the most important question you must ask your team is: What are our customers’ demands & what will make them come back for more? The insights you gain from the answer will help you create better strategies & make informed business decisions.

How to keep customers happy? By keeping employees happy.

The key to making your business customer-centric is to invest in employees first.

While the majority of entrepreneurs are more likely to focus on the bigger scheme of things like providing incredible customer service, building a focused sales team, offering competitive pricing, and creating cut-throat marketing strategies, the success of a business lies in the happiness of the employees who run it. Unhappy and unsatisfied employees can negatively impact the output, turnover, and overall efficiency of the business, which, in turn, can have a cumulative effect on the customers.

Southwest Airlines is known for keeping its employees’ happiness at the core of its brand value. The airline treats its employees well by backing the decisions of each employee as well as providing everyone with quality benefits that keep them content and financially secure.

Adopting a customer-centric approach is a sure-fire way for a business to boost its sales and profit, and thereby grow exponentially.

Companies that follow a customer-centric approach generate more revenues, have satisfied employees and a loyal customer base. This, in turn, puts the business in a comfortable position and gives it a competitive edge over rivals. Such companies succeed in creating successful, long-lasting relationships with their customers, as they are always focused towards delivering what the customer needs by understanding and studying them thoroughly.

Choosing the right location

The location of your office is an important factor to consider. It should be accessible to clients and employees alike, but also near any transport options you may require. Your business will be more successful if it’s located in a place that’s easy for people to find and get to, so you should do some research into what locations are popular with clients like yours, as well as where your employees live and work. Rent and other expenses

Rental & other charges

When considering the total cost of your office space, you should also be aware of other fees that may affect your bottom line. These include:

• Rent or leasing costs: This is self-explanatory, but it’s important to keep in mind how much you’ll be paying per hour, day, month or year upfront. You can also expect variable rent depending on location and building type.

• Furniture and equipment rental costs: It’s common for landlords to charge additional fees for furniture rental if there isn’t enough space for employees’ personal items inside their cubicles/offices; this will usually vary based on what type of furniture you need as well as its quality level compared with standard options available from the landlord’s selection catalogues.

Promoting Work Culture

When thinking about your office space, it’s important to consider the type of work culture you want to create. Coworking spaces offer a range of options, including dedicated offices and private offices as well as open-floor plans some with dividers that can be moved around as needed and semi-private spaces. Coworking is an ideal option if you’re looking for a space where employees will collaborate and share ideas rather than just working in isolation from each other. However, if you need privacy during certain times of day or in specific areas of the office (for example, when discussing sensitive information), consider renting a private suite or executive suite instead. Managed office solutions offer complete customisation of your office to ensure your office is built to fit your culture and to ensure that employees truly enjoy coming to work, thus promoting a positive work environment and culture.

Lease Durations

Your lease term can be either fixed or flexible. A fixed lease is the most common type of lease and the most economical for your business. With a fixed term, you know exactly how much rent will be each month for the entire duration of your lease. However, if for some reason you need to move before the end of your term (for example, due to growth), then this can be very expensive in terms of break-clauses and penalties that could cost you thousands of dollars.

A flexible lease has no set end date; instead it allows you to pay month-to-month at market rates based on actual occupancy levels (i.e., how many people are working there) rather than just on square footage used by your business – so if there’s an empty office but other rooms are fully occupied with plenty of staff members around during normal business hours every day, only one space is charged while all other spaces remain unoccupied). This means that if one part goes quiet but another part picks up again then only one space will still have costs associated with it while others might not even get charged anything since they aren’t being used right now but may well be later down the line when things pick back up again!

Infrastructure

When you’re looking for an office space, you want to make sure that the company provides all of the infrastructure that your team will need. This includes power, water and internet—all of which are necessary to run a business smoothly.

As well as these basic utilities, it’s also important to consider whether or not there are conference rooms, meeting rooms or boardrooms available for use by employees who may need them throughout their day (for example: CXO level executive) Some businesses also offer amenities like gym memberships, coffee bars, restaurants, sport facilities, etc.

Landlord Reputation

You should also consider the reputation of the landlord, building, area and country. You want to be sure that your prospective office space is well-maintained and safe. Also look at whether or not there are other businesses in the building that you’d like to work with as a tenant. This will help ensure that you create a positive relationship with your landlord as well as collaborate with others in your industry. For a businesses, it is also important to consider Grade A building and real estate partners to work with, a prestigious business address goes a long way!

Notice Period

A notice period is the amount of time a tenant is required to give their landlord before vacating the premises. The length of this can vary depending on the type of lease agreement, but usually it is a couple of months.

A termination clause details how and when your lease will come to an end. This should be included in your contract, which you should take care to read over carefully before signing anything.

CoWrks is an end to end workspace solutions provider that helps you re-imagine your workspace. Why fit in when you can stand out?

Cowrks is a one stop shop for all office needs from start-ups to global businesses. We offer a range of flexible solutions that can cater to your requirements and budget, ranging from hot desks to managed offices, co-working spaces with plug and play abilities or virtual offices where you host your business at a premium business address without the need for bricks and mortar premises.

Cowrks offers a range of workspace solutions including flexible workspace, managed office solutions & instant workspaces.

Find the best solution for your business and solve all your space related problems. Call us at +919538611122