In the days of high unemployment, it was almost an unspoken reality that we did not always press our employees to be at the top of their efficiency game. Today, when employees are hard to find, we need to have everyone working at their peak, with appropriate R & R periodically.

Today, there is a new trend-- "quiet quitting." I am sure you have heard of it--quiet quitting is just doing what is necessary to get by, in other words, just enough to keep from getting fired.

This is a poisonous, demoralizing way of living. Time Magazine, quotes Adrianna Huffington, not exactly one of my favorite pundits, as saying, "Quiet quitting isn't just about quitting on a job, it's a step toward quitting on life."

So true. Perhaps you are a mother. Why not let that baby sit in a mess for a couple of hours, why change their diaper? After all, they won't remember any of this when they are older, and you can save on diaper costs.

I think this frames the issue in a clear way. Let's face it, quiet quitting is a lowering of standards.

How do you fight this? Bring it out in the open. Discuss the issue in team meetings. Continue to reward high achievers and continually find new ways to reward them. For some of us, the idea is abhorrent, but we are going to have to deal with it, so I say engage. Don't let this disease take over your work space.

Jim Thompson is CEO of Paperitalo Publications.