What is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting (sometimes also referred to silent quitting) refers to the scenario where employees avoid taking on additional tasks beyond their basic responsibilities. This behavior is viewed as a form of passive resistance against excessive employer expectations or as an attempt by workers to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
The trend of quiet quitting emerged shortly after the wave of the “Great Resignation”, which involved mass employee departures primarily in the United States during 2021. Workers feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or undervalued began to exit their jobs and change their professional lives. As the Great Resignation subsided, quiet quitting took hold. Employees in this trend don’t quit outright; instead, they gradually do less – often just the bare minimum – and avoid deep involvement in the company's activities.
It's difficult to determine exactly who first coined the term “quiet quitting” as there are several sources. However, it is clear that social media played a significant role in popularizing it, particularly TikTok and a video posted by career coach Bryan Creely.
People who quietly quit still fulfill their basic duties, but are less willing to engage further. They stop staying late, coming in early, or attending optional meetings. The reasons for such behaviors may include:
Quiet quitting begins when an employee no longer sees the point in taking on new initiatives – not receiving proper compensation, recognition, and feeling that they are burning out in vain.
Quiet quitting has a clearly negative impact on a company:
This trend can also negatively impact the employees themselves. Unwillingness to take on additional duties and initiatives can cause employees to stop developing, creating a skills gap. A lack of knowledge and skills means they no longer become valuable assets to the company and attractive candidates for other employers.
The good news is that the issue of quiet quitting in the workplace can be managed! Here are some strategies that every organization should consider:
If a company insists on sticking to an outdated or inefficient management model, the issue of quiet quitting may worsen. The only way to stop this trend is to keep up with employee needs. As the demographics of the workforce change, employers also need to learn new, effective ways to collaborate.