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Quiet quitting is not a new concept, but 2022 trends have made it more prominent in workplaces and universities around the world. The premise of quiet quitting is that employees stop putting in extra hours and time to achieve organisational goals. In a university context, this involves students doing the bare minimum to pass their courses. Usually, this is the result of burnout, a lack of friendships or a feeling of not belonging in the campus community.
In a work context, 85% of employees who leave a business are thought to show quiet quitting behaviours beforehand. One report shared that up to 1 in 3 university students is quiet quitting in 2022.1 What would happen to our campuses, our communities and our economies if we lost 33% of the future talent?
Josh Farr, founder of Campus Consultancy, has helped thousands of students break free of this quiet quitting mentality. He does so by increasing student engagement through engaging, hands-on, community focussed personal and professional development programs.
When the business began, Josh focused on developing the leadership skills of student club executive committees, so they could help other students find more fulfilling university experiences. He did so through the following model; better leaders = better university experience for all students = better engagement of students = better retention of students.
They saw these clubs achieve record-level membership numbers, record-level event attendance and record-level student engagement. Not surprisingly, the universities took notice and brought the team in to run training for mentoring programs, career programs, leadership programs, equity programs and more; all to successfully drive up student engagement, ultimately leading to student retention and success.
The leadership programs run by Josh and the team at Campus Consultancy also aim to prepare students for the future. They can help students understand how their chosen degree will pave their careers and success in the long term. Some ways they draw the link between education and work include:
- Showing how teamwork in volunteering projects can set you up for the skills the workforce needs most
- Helping students develop leadership skills so they can quickly progress up the career ladder
- Developing organisational skills in students to help them stay motivated with a full day’s work agenda and become effective decision-makers
- Teaching communication skills to assist students in acing the job interview process and becoming superstar employees
Many students have commented about the course, stating how it opened their eyes to how studying harder can help them build on their personal goals. One particular RMIT student quotes, “Free time in your week can translate to time given to achieving your personal goals.” This can act as a catalyst for students to spend more time studying or learning new job skills.
With 45 workshops on offer, the Campus Consultancy team are confident they can boost student motivation and eradicate quiet quitting in students. They have already made a positive change by reducing university dropouts, which account for about 50,000 Australian students per year. With international education valued at $40.3b in 20212, improving conditions for students so they want to stay and thrive during and after study is crucial to the success of the Australian economy, Australian international relationships and the development of our cities and communities nation wide.
If you are a university leader, program manager or passionate student interested in finding out more, the Campus Consultancy team is always happy to help. To get a taste of one of their programs run in partnership with Study Melbourne register for their next free Leadership Lab program here to check out their amazing work for yourself.
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