What is Quiet Quitting and Why is it Happening?

If you've been on social media lately you've probably come across discussions about “quiet quitting.” As happens with many emerging terms, readers are left with only context to decipher its meaning. So what is quiet quitting, why is it happening, and what are the implications for you and your workplace?

What is Quiet Quitting?

The term “quiet quitting” is actually something of a misnomer – it doesn't technically refer to quitting at all. Rather than describing a way to pack up and leave, quiet quitting your job refers to the practice of giving only the minimum effort required not to be fired. You might think of it instead as something along the lines of “quitting light,” “minimum effort,” or “phoning it in.”

With that in mind, it's arguable that despite the exploding popularity of the phrase and topic – The Atlantic reports that the phrase was more or less unknown in August, but has since been getting millions of clicks – quiet quitting work isn't truly anything new. But the new phrase for it coming into vogue, the generally positive sentiment around the practice by those who use the term, and the immense popularity (and perceived novelty) of the topic indicate that there's been a shift in workplace attitudes. At the very least, what was done quietly before is now being talked about openly.

Why are People Quiet Quitting?

It may be tempting, as some pundits have, to simply condemn workers who aren't willing to go above and beyond at work as lazy or entitled young people. But this approach is probably simplistic –  and historically, is something of a constant. A wiser approach might be to understand the reasons that workers are doing what they do: this is less about generational character and more of an effect of The Great Resignation.

As reported by CNBC, a recent Gallup poll, indicates that job dissatisfaction is at an all-time high, with 60% of people reporting emotional detachment from their jobs, and 19% reporting that they're miserable. If employees are quiet quitting, it's likely because they believe it's the best avenue available to them to address that situation. Some of the explanations that have been given by those who champion the approach are discussed below.

             The Rise of 24/7 Workweek

Only a few decades ago, a major victory of the worker's rights movement was the 8-hour workday and the 40-hour workweek. Before this employers could – and did – work employees to the bone and then simply replace them when they were claimed by burnout or injury.

In 2022, these protections have been eroded in a number of ways. Overtime is frequently unpaid, despite legal protections intended to prevent this. Moreover, the ease of contacting employees outside of business hours – be it through cell phones, text messages, email, or social media – has fostered an environment where the workday never ends. If employers don't welcome healthy discussion about such boundaries, employees are to quietly enforce them themselves.

              Insufficient Professional Boundaries

Since 1970, technology and automation have increased the productivity of modern workers, but wages haven't kept pace. This, coupled with nearly half of workers reporting that they consider their workplace to be understaffed, can only mean that the remaining workers are being expected to perform the jobs of multiple people.

Again, we see a reversal of the old wisdom – where it was once common advice to encourage employees to show their excellence by doing more than what's expected of them, today making a point of doing just the opposite is seen as a way to restore a sense of sustainability and sanity for workers and is actually celebrated by other employees who want the same for themselves. While it may sound counterintuitive to some, the idea that too much work is bad for one's career is far from a fringe idea: as early as 2016, Forbes suggested that perhaps Millennials weren't getting promoted because they overwork.

              Insufficient Job Security, Long-Term Benefits, and Opportunities for Promotion

Traditionally, employees were encouraged to prove their long-term worth to companies in order to secure long-term benefits and promotions. But in today's economy, these benefits aren't being provided with the same regularity.

Pensions are largely a thing of the past, having been replaced by the fungible 401k. And perhaps relatedly, the retirement crisis faced by the older working generation has blocked the efforts of younger workers to be promoted. All this has contributed to an environment in which statistically, the best way to get a raise is usually not loyalty at all, but job-hopping. Without proper incentives to encourage growth within a company, accepting additional responsibility appears to these employees to amount to nothing but unpaid work.

              Unionization is Down Despite Increased Popularity

According to a new Gallup poll, unions are more popular than ever, with 71% of Americans reporting that they support them. Yet despite these numbers, union membership has been in decline, a fact which a Pew Research Poll shows is seen as negative by over 61% of Americans. In short, Americans want to utilize collective bargaining through unions but feel powerless to do so. This situation is described by the Economic Policy Institute as a wake-up call to lawmakers resulting from a broken system of labor law.

If workers don't feel they can negotiate collectively and openly to assert their rights and boundaries, that leaves them to do so individually and quietly. While quiet quitting might be described as a lighter form of quitting, it can also be seen as a stand-in for the concept of a strike.

What Quiet Quitting Means for Your Business

Whether you're an employee, a job-seeker, a manager, or a business owner, the bottom line regarding the quiet quitting phenomenon is the same. If you witness quiet quitting in your workplace, it indicates that workers believe they've been overworked and under-compensated and that traditional avenues to negotiate have failed them or are unsafe to attempt. This leaves passive non-action as an attractive negotiation tactic.

Whether your response to this is one of sympathy, concern, or something else, if the appeal of quiet quitting is to be lessened, it would involve changing the conditions above. Workers need to feel engaged, respected, properly compensated, and openly communicated with in order to give their best. And if employers find that to be too much trouble to do, maybe they're quiet quitting their responsibilities, too.

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