The pandemic led many employees to leave their job and blaze a new career path. But don't assume those who stuck around are working hard.

Employees who remain are not necessarily your star performers. Some remain in place by default, showing little or no inclination to work hard. They're known as quiet quitters.

Meeting a low bar — showing up, doing the least amount of work to get by — causes a ripple effect. Others lower their standards, and mediocrity spreads. Ideally, you'd light a fire under these underperformers. But in this tight labor market, you may hesitate to come down too hard for fear of driving them away.

Still, you don't want to accept a status quo in which your workforce cares more about not making waves than pulling together to excel. To stop quiet quitters from coasting along, early detection helps. How can you spot someone who's lapsing into lethargy?

Establish A Baseline To Spot Quiet Quitters

Take stock of each individual's long-standing performance and work habits. Then note any deviations from the norm.

"To the extent the baseline is changing, that's something to look for," said Jim Detert, author of "Choosing Courage." If an employee routinely volunteered to do extra assignments or mentor new hires — and now retreats from such activities — that's a red flag.