Unless you are living under a rock, you have probably heard of quiet quitting. Instagram, YouTube, and especially TikTok are stacked with videos of individuals telling their stories of quiet quitting work, giving advice and tips, or analysing one of the latest workplace trends. Even if you think this entire business trend is blown out of proportion, the numbers don’t lie.

Such TikTok videos generate millions, if not billions, of views, indicating a shift not in the high management but in the way workers approach their positions/daily tasks and manage expectations.

Judging by Millennials, and especially Gen Z, the days of “work hard, party harder” are long gone. Nowadays, it is all about doing exactly as your contract says. No more and no less. We will now help you to better understand this topic as we ask, what is quiet quitting?

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What Does Quiet Quitting Mean?

Quiet quitting is not about leaving the building unnoticed or signing firing papers without letting anyone know. On the contrary, quiet quitting is all about keeping a position, but only by doing the minimum requirements without trying to push forward, and without expending more time, effort, or knowledge than absolutely necessary.

By doing the bare minimum, the employee still does the work assigned, but without going that extra mile many employers expect from them.

Quiet workers don’t complain too much, nor do they underperform. They have managed to find the balance between getting the job done and not engaging in additional work. Many believe this is a relatively new way of working, however, once we dig deeper, we will discover that it’s not Gen Z or even Gen X to blame.

Quiet quitting is merely a label that society has attached to something that has been happening in offices for centuries. Herman Melville mentioned it back in 1853 in his short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street”, about an employee who constantly responds with “I would prefer not to.”

Signs of Quiet Quitting

It is time to take a look at behaviours that indicate someone is quiet quitting:

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• Not focusing on promotions, but rather being content with the way things are.
• Ditching opportunities, such as longer hours and extra work.
• Not giving input unless explicitly asked.
• Keeping things 9 to 5 and ignoring any emails, calls, or messages in their free time.
• Sticking only to tasks that fall under their job description.
• Avoiding work events if they happen outside of business hours.
• Maxing out on available vacation and sick days.

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Why are People Quiet Quitting?

According to Gallup, around 50% of the American workforce is quiet quitting. The company’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 report claims that 72% of all European workers are already in the process of doing the minimum. Here are some other interesting numbers:

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• Romanians are the busy bees of Europe, with the highest engagement levels.
• With 16% of engaged workers, Germans share 22nd/23rd place with Croatia.
• Swiss workers think of themselves as even less engaged and end up in the 31st spot on the list.
• The Austrian workforce has only 11% of workers willing to engage.

What makes things interesting is that workers claim they know exactly why they are quiet quitting. None of them are doing it “just because”. The data analysis indicates that 41% of them would stop it if the work culture and appreciation of the engagement were different. 28% wouldn’t do it if they were able to gain a raise or other benefits, while 16% would appreciate it if the company showed more interest in their personal well-being and acted upon it.

But what causes quiet quitting? If you ask the University of Arizona, it all comes down to burnout and intolerable levels of stress:

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• 40% of participants say they opted for quiet quitting to reduce everyday stress.
• 29% of workers do it for a better work-life balance.
• 28% do it because they lack recognition.
• 22% are simply unhappy with their workplace.
• 21% of workers are quiet quitting because they lack sufficient compensation.

Quiet Quitting Examples: There’s More to it Than Just Workload 

Quiet quitting is a representation of many factors. In a 2022 survey, NPR gathered some interesting experiences from workers all over the world:

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• Adrian Brothers, a school bus driver, said the company he works for required they install an official app on their personal phone. They never did it, as Adrian believes the company should, in this case, also get him a business phone.
• Lane Sheldon, an attorney, noticed more and more quiet quitting due to high demands placed upon attorneys, which takes a toll on their mental and physical health.
• Christy G., an administrative assistant, believes there is nothing that can’t wait until the next day, especially as she has realised demands outside work hours are never a question of life and death.
• James Holverstott, a labourer, thinks quiet quitting is reserved exclusively for white-collar workers.

How to Prevent Quiet Quitting?

Such stories and TikTok trends make it easy to believe there is no cure for quiet quitting. Yet, the reality is anything but. As long as the management recognises the trend, it can do a lot to make the workplace more motivating:

1. Switch to the hybrid work model for employees who need a different work and life balance.

2. Use desk-sharing apps, such as Flexopus, to streamline the organisation process and avoid any inconveniences.

3. Recognise and reward achievements and extra work before the employee seeks acknowledgement.

4. Offer learning opportunities and seminars to workers who show an interest in personal growth.

5. Provide clear communication about expectations, goals, and responsibilities.

6. Allow workers to have autonomy and explore their creativity.

7. Avoid micromanagement.

Quiet quitting is nothing new, but now that it is recognised, employers have no excuse not to prevent it.