It has been a while since I posted on LinkedIn. Maybe I #quietlyquit before quitting quietly was a quite a thing.

I am not exactly sure where I land on the whole quitting trend.

My issue is that it feels like an assumption that the person doing the 'quitting' is doing something wrong. The term "quitting" seems negative here. There is this feeling of fault on the person. That they did it. Something bad.

I don't think that is healthy.

I used to talk about how disengaged employees were often villainized. I've seen and heard disengaged employee's called vampires. A cancer you had to cut out (this one was personal). Prisoners. Dysfunctional. A nuisance. On the fringe.

None of these were helpful terms. Cheeky, maybe. Sold books. Sure. Helpful, no.

What do leaders do with vampires? And, if disengaged employees are prisoners, does that make you a Guard and your #hrteam a Warden (mad respect to my friends in the Corrections field)?

How does that work exactly.

The thing about villains is that they have an origin story. A place where their story was told. In almost every comic book I read as a kid, that was a place of isolation, disregard, or dysfunction. Or some epic combo.

I suspect that for many, what was once deeply purposeful and meaningful work at some point became a place of disconnection. And the work piled on. More and more. Systemic functions of how work was unfolding in unhealthy ways. It costs something to work like that for long periods. And, it become enough.

Enough was enough. It just was.

I wonder how many folks on TikTok who are quietly quitting feel like the organization they work for/in/with quietly quit on them some time ago. Or their colleagues. Or leader.

I am wondering what conversations we can have to support both sides. To create places of work where there is healthy engagement, balance for wellbeing, and really good work. Where communities thrive.

As my friend Steve Cadigan says, we are in for, and experiencing, a real #workquake and we are seeing this play out. From petitions at Apple to education strikes in Ohio (next post is on the coming #crisis in education across the US; better hold on folks).

Long overdue conversations are now a forcing function.

Maybe instead of #quietquitting we can say:

Quietly setting healthy boundaries
Quietly avoiding burnout
Quietly taking a breath
Quietly getting some rest
Quietly loving on my family
Quietly doing this work I was hired for
Quietly choosing to not answer emails at 10pm
Quietly choosing wellbeing
Quietly focused on my physical health

I would rather have conversations about anticipation instead of expectation. About what could be rather than what has been.

The employee experience and wellbeing are at an intersection. And, in my opinion, that is the foundation the #futureofwork will be built on.

I would love to hear your stories and your thoughts about this. In the meantime, you'll excuse me while I go be quiet someplace.

- Brad Shuck

Hello LSHRM Family,

Katie Ryan Fotiadis, the 2022 President of the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Kentuckiana Chapter (and a former UofL HR Grad Program colleague of mine), has reached out to me to extend an invitation to all LSHRM Members to their upcoming ATDKY Day of Learning on Tuesday, September 27th, 2022!

This also seemed like a great opportunity to help the two organizations reconnect, so I wanted to take this opportunity to reintroduce you all in hopes that you may find some other new and exciting ways to collaborate in the future.

More information on the conference can be found at Day of Learning 2022 (atdky.org) (SHRM Credit approval pending). Please feel free to connect with Katie Ryan and her team (copied in) for any further questions.

Stand out as an HR professional by staying up to date on legal issues happening today and learn more about what to expect in the future. Join LSHRM and Stoll Keenon Ogden law firm on Tuesday, September 13 at 11:30a-1:30p to hear the most important HR laws and how it may impact employers and their employees.

HRCI and SHRM credits pending.

Lunch provided for pre-registered participants.

This is an in-person event. Masks optional.

11 TIPS TO MAKE MEAL PLANNING A BREEZE

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