What is ghost working?

Many of us have heard of quiet quitting but what is ghost working and how does that compare?

Quiet quitting consists of employees who do the bare minimum amount of work to get by.  They tend to have low productivity and poor morale.  Ghost working, on the other hand, is where employees pretend to be working, making fake phone calls, attending phony meetings, being tied up for bogus projects, etc.

Ghost working takes more effort but may produce even less output than quiet quitting; it is also more purposely deceptive, leading to a culture of distrust and dishonesty.  One survey I recently read noted that while about 34% of employees may do this on occasion, nearly 60% of employees surveyed suggested they do this regularly.

Do you have any ghosts in your department and what are you doing about it?

In your analysis, look for the root of the issue that may encourage ghost working: are your employees stressed, over or under utilized and/or burned out? Do they feel unheard by management?  Do they understand their responsibilities and how they fit in with the organization?

It’s so easy to lose time these days and we all get caught going down rabbit holes from time to time, but ghost working is more than that.  Have you seen a drop in overall productivity?  Do you have employees who seem to work hard, but nothing gets accomplished?

Maybe it’s time to step back and regroup.  Talk with your staff about their accountabilities.  Re-evaluate whether things have or should change.  Maybe you’re doing something new that automated work, which is great, but have you addressed the changes that could accompany this by redirecting efforts?  Does your staff understand that their work is important to the organization that they’re appreciated?

Keeping an open dialogue with staff, built on active listening and genuine care, can help you all move forward.  Maybe you need to incorporate some team building or fun in your organization so everyone feels a little more connected and appreciated. You want to encourage a culture of ownership.

Ghost working is happening; see what you can do to address the spirits in your organization and resuscitate your staff with a better purpose!

#ghostworking #positivity #management #hrconsultant #quietquitting

While ghosts can be cute, we want employees to remain productive at work.