Want To Avoid the 'Quiet Quitting' Trend in Your Business? Here Are 3 Strategies That Will Make Your Employees Want To Stay. Burnout is being touted as the main factor in 'quiet quitting.' But here's the truth: Burnout isn't caused by overwork — it's caused by not finding meaning in your work.

The 2022 Time Economy Report found that employees rank health benefits and salary highest for job satisfaction (no surprise there). But what's most interesting is that they said: feeling good about how their time is spent, having a sense of purpose and having a manageable workload are key factors that weigh heavily on why they stay at their company.

In a post-pandemic world, employee expectations have been evolving; unfortunately, many businesses and industries are falling behind in making the needed shifts to retain happier, more satisfied teams. Employees want to have meaningful work, but when they feel they are constantly busy with a thousand tasks and projects, it can lead to the newest trend of "quiet quitting."

Related: Why a Purpose-Driven Business Is the Real Key to Success

Most of us know a small handful of CEOs or business owners that have been affected by employee ghosting or lack of motivation. Quiet quitting is not "officially" quitting your job, per se — you still physically show up and receive your paycheck, but you stop going above and beyond at work. You do just the base level expectations of your job. It may mean not responding to emails outside work hours or not taking on tasks outside your job description.

Burnout is being touted as the main factor in quiet quitting. But here's the truth: Burnout isn't caused by overwork. It's caused by not finding meaning in your work.

Three tips to help your team find meaning in their work

While I believe labor shortages and weariness over the economy are all at play here, I'm optimistic that companies can redirect. The key is to create a company culture where the idea of quiet quitting does not even cross your employees' minds. A powerful and effective antidote to quiet quitting is to create a culture of purpose.

Here are three tips for helping your employees find meaning in their work:

1. Revisit KPIs and job responsibilities

If you feel there are rumblings of quiet quitting happening at your business, it's a sign that it's time to revisit job roles. If your employee is at the point where they are putting in the bare minimum, it means their inspiration is at an all-time low. The best way to revive their motivation and buy-in is to initiate a conversation about their roles and responsibilities.

Many businesses set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and don't take the time to change them as the business evolves and grows. So often, you are unknowingly setting expectations that are outdated with your vision or that simply weigh down good employees with tasks that don't align with the priorities of the business. A KPI review is a great task to schedule for yourself twice a year. Look over team member job descriptions and KPIs to ensure that they fit your current needs. Asking each team member to do their own KPI review and bring suggestions to your next one-on-one meeting will help give them more ownership over their roles. Revise KPIs accordingly together; researchers call this job crafting, which leads to a much greater sense of importance and value.

Related: Quiet Quitting Is Dividing the Workforce. Here's How to Bring Everyone Back Together.

2. Shake up your process for employee reviews

As a boss or manager, we all know that we need to do scheduled performance reviews with our teams. Unfortunately for many employees, the process of job review feels stilted and one-sided, which leads to feelings of not having any control. Placing some of the control into the hands of your employees increases an internal locus of control, which leads to better future performance, increased ownership over projects and higher satisfaction at work.

Try changing up your review process. One of the steps I added to my own process years ago has been incredibly insightful. I have team members write down all the tasks they do throughout the year and categorize them into four categories: Tasks I Love, Tasks I Like, Tasks I Dislike and Tasks I Wish I Could Do. I get insight into how they see their work, but the added bonus is that the fourth category has been a treasure trove of information. I discovered a team member who loved spreadsheets, an office manager who wanted to pursue photography and a warehouse assistant with an affinity for graphic design — all work I was outsourcing. I was able to bring the work in-house while also helping them find meaning in their contributions.

3. Build trust through delegation

I think we can all agree that no one wants to be micromanaged — and if you are the one doing the micromanaging, you aren't really allowing yourself time to be in your zone of genius. When we don't trust our teams to do the work, we drain the feeling of impact. On the other hand, delegation is not abdication — we need to provide the scaffolding to allow them to feel successful.

When delegating tasks to team members, take the time to ensure that they understand how their task plays a crucial role in the bigger vision. As a leader, your job is to help employees see their work as contributing to the big picture. Take a few minutes to explain why the work is important and how their success directly impacts the business.

There's a great story about JFK taking a tour of the brand new NASA facility and running into a janitor carrying a broom. When asked about his job, the man replied, "I'm putting a man on the moon."

We want our team members to see the meaning in the work they do — even the most mundane tasks add value and contribution. As the leader of your business, your most important job is to help set the mindset of meaning for your team.