Employers expect workers whose real wages have declined 1.7 percent between 2018 and 2022 to come in each morning and give in their best for increasing company profits and cheering to the emails of ‘we are a family’.

Instead, they are opting for quiet quitting, essentially using company internet and valuable work time to apply for other jobs.

 The Global Workplace 2023 Report by US firm Gallup says that Kenya and other countries across Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest regional percentage of workers, who are actively seeking new jobs.

About six out of every 10 employees in Kenya and across Sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing disconnection from their jobs, denting the region's recovery efforts post the pandemic.

A two-year hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic had a massive shift in the labour market and the school system that saw workers opt to working from home, offering a less costly commute, flexibility to consult for multiple jobs and more family time.

Quiet quitting among employees

But now employers are under pressure to maximise output at the least cost under the present economic strain in order to keep prices affordable. Over the years some have relied on digitization, staff restructuring and multi-layering roles on the remaining employees to make the most of their teams. Now post Covid even smaller teams are facing higher demands forcing them to engage the quiet quitting gear.

This group of employees feels psychologically unattached to their work and workplace. Gallup says they are doing quiet quitting, meaning they’re essentially filling a seat in the office, and watching the clock tick. Gallup said such workers are putting in the minimum effort required in their work.

Although they are minimally productive, the report says, they are more likely to be stressed and burnt out than engaged workers because they feel "lost and disconnected" from their company.

Gallup survey says that 41 percent of "quiet quitters" note that alterations in corporate engagement or culture could enhance their working environment.

A further 28 percent said that receiving greater wages and benefits would increase their engagement. Another 16 percent wished for more opportunities for wellness, such as fewer extra hours, more opportunities for remote work, and access to healthcare.

The survey shows a nearly equal percentage of employees, who are thriving at work or engaged at 20 percent, and those actively disengaged or practicing "loud quitting" at 21 percent.

Sense of belonging at work

Under loud quitting, employees take actions that directly harm the organization, undercutting its goals, and even opposing its leaders. At some point along the way, the trust between employee and employer becomes severely broken. Quite often, the employee is woefully out of sync with their role, igniting constant crises, Gallup said.

According to the survey, employees feel engaged when their basic needs are met. A chance to contribute, and enjoy a sense of belonging drives engagement, Gallup said. Access to opportunities for learning and growth also enhances their engagement.

Kenya, just like many countries in Africa, is grappling with a joblessness crisis. In the three months leading up to December 2022, about 2.97 million Kenyans did not have a job. This was an increase from the 2.89 million reported in September 2022 by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Over half of Kenyans without work, or 1.54 million people, are young adults between the ages of 20 and 29, KNBS data shows. This illustrates the escalating crisis of unemployment among graduates of colleges and universities.

The number of unemployed people between the ages of 30 and 34 climbed by 4.93 percent from one quarter to the next, to 417,493.

Read also: Why there are no jobs in Kenya: 1300 companies hire 150 workers

Decline in unemployment

According to KNBS, there were 253,323 fewer people between the ages of 45 and 64 who were jobless in Q4 2022. This was a decrease of 15.56 percent.

The older people aged 60 to 64 experienced the biggest decline in unemployment, falling from 42,506 during the review period to 29,105, a decline of 31.53 percent.

Gallup typically surveys 1,000 individuals in each country or area using a standard set of core questions in the target country’s major languages.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Gallup surveyed employees in Kenya, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The survey also engaged employees in Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, and Mozambique.

Workers Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe participated in the research.

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