Unless you’ve been running your company from under a rock for the last few years, you’ve probably heard the phrase — but what is quiet quitting, really?
Quiet quitting, also called silent quitting, is a relatively new phenomenon creating challenges for employers in every industry, at every level. It’s also something a recent poll found is happening with an estimated 50% of the existing workforce in this country.1
Quiet quitting, unlike an actual resignation, is when an employee doesn’t entirely leave their position, but they mentally check out of their role and any major responsibilities that come with it. Quiet quitters continue (mostly) showing up, but do only the bare minimum they need to while disengaging from any extra effort or initiative. Quiet quitting is a silent withdrawal driven by a complex mix of psychological factors, including burnout, lack of motivation, feeling underappreciated or not recognized, or believing there are no opportunities for future growth within a company.
Understanding the signs of quiet quitting is a necessity for organizations today. It directly impacts everything from productivity to team dynamics and morale. By knowing what to look for, though, you can take proactive steps to address issues as they come up so you can create a healthy and high-performing environment.
The rise of quiet quitting
Unfortunately, quiet quitting doesn’t seem to be just a passing trend. It signals a significant shift in employment attitudes and expectations in the modern workplace. Recent years have shown a notable increase in the adoption of a “work-to-rule” approach, where employees perform only the minimum required.
A recent Gallup poll found that employees feel more detached from and less satisfied with their employers than ever.2 The rise in prioritizing work-life balance and personal well-being over the traditional notion of career advancement is fueling the uptick in quiet quitting attitudes.
As remote work became more mainstream over the last several years, boundaries between work and personal life blurred. Many people today are trying to course-correct that. Seeking healthier balance in life, a lot of workers are less willing to endure toxicity in the workplace or accept feeling overworked or lack of recognition. Their answer is to withdraw emotionally while remaining physically present.
It’s not all doom and gloom. The quiet quitting trend can be seen as an opportunity, or a call to action, to understand and meet your workforce’s needs and expectations. By recognizing and addressing the signs of quiet quitting, as well as implementing strategies like quiet managing, you can create a more engaging and supportive workplace that fosters positivity and productivity.
Causes of quiet quitting
There are several causes of quiet quitting. Many stem from underlying root problems that impact employee morale and engagement. Understanding the primary reasons why employees might begin to quietly quit will allow you to address and change policy and perception across your organization.
- Burnout: Prolonged stress, long hours, unreasonable expectations, and excessive workloads without support or resources are leading to unprecedented rates of burnout. When employees feel exhausted and overwhelmed, it’s easy to disengage as a coping mechanism.
- Lack of recognition: Employees who feel their efforts aren’t valued or recognized are more likely to lose motivation. Gradually, reducing their effort to match a perceived lack of appreciation is common.
- No growth opportunities: For a worker who believes they’ve maxed out their opportunity in a role or with a company, feeling stagnant and like they’re in a career dead-end can cause them to disengage from feeling like there’s little incentive to go above and beyond.
- Poor management or leadership: Ineffective, abusive, or toxic leadership significantly contributes to quiet quitting today. Whether a manager fails to use effective communication, gives limited feedback, or creates a toxic work environment, some employees who are disconnected from leadership will naturally disengage from their roles.
- Misalignment with company values: Employees who feel misaligned with an organization’s values or mission might find staying engaged with their responsibilities challenging. The urge to withdraw may be a form of silent protest.
- Lack of work-life balance: Most of us have experience working in fast-paced environments. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is increasingly important, yet more challenging than ever. Employees might start to pull back to reclaim personal space and time for the sake of their own satisfaction.
- Toxic culture: Negative work environments, gossip, bullying, or unfair practices can be highly demotivating. As a result, employees can begin to quietly disengage instead of confronting the issues if they feel their workplace is more about stress than support.
7 Signs that may indicate your employees are quiet quitting
Recognizing the signs of quiet quitting early is crucial if you hope to maintain a productive and positive workplace where employees are satisfied and committed to their jobs.
Because quiet quitting involves subtle signs of employee disengagement, it can be more challenging to manage than an outright resignation is. Recognizing these key signs allows you to take proactive steps to re-engage employees, address underlying issues, and identify potential employee flight risk cases early on.
Decreased engagement
A noticeable decrease in engagement is one of the first signs of quiet quitting. Employees who stop participating in meetings, discussions, or brainstorming sessions — especially if they previously have been vocal — is a warning sign.
What to look for in a disengaged employee:
- Appears distracted
- Shows little interest in sharing
- Avoids volunteering for new projects
- Stops contributing ideas or engaging in conversations
- Doesn’t get excited about new initiatives
Decline in work quality and productivity
If the quality of work declines or you notice a drop in productivity, it might be due to quiet quitting. Disengaged employees tend to do as little as possible to get by. The result is reduced output, increased mistakes, or incomplete tasks.
What to look for:
- Drop in productivity
- Suddenly doing the bare minimum
- Reduced output
- More mistakes
- Not finishing tasks
- Lack of attention to detail or thoroughness
Withdrawal from team activities
Some quietly quitting employees will withdraw from team activities or work-related social interactions. This withdrawal may be due to feeling disconnected from colleagues or leadership and deliberately distancing themselves from their workplace environment.
What to look for:
- Skipping team building events
- Avoiding formal or informal gatherings
- Declining invitations to collaborate on projects
Increased absenteeism
Increased absenteeism is yet another common sign of disengagement. If absences or tardiness don’t have an apparent reason or valid excuse, the employee might be quietly quitting. Frequent absences or time off can indicate a lack of commitment to their role.
What to look for:
- Taking more days off
- Showing up late
- Leaving early
Lack of initiative
Showing a lack of initiative is a warning sign of quiet quitting. Disengaged employees often won’t take proactive steps to solve problems or suggest improvements. They barely go above what’s required of them in their job descriptions.
What to look for:
- They don’t try to solve problems
- Rarely or never suggest improvements
- Only complete assigned tasks
- Don’t seek additional responsibilities
- Don’t look for or take advantage of opportunities for growth
Change in attitude or emotional detachment
Look for a noticeable or obvious change in attitude, especially if it’s negative or seems emotionally detached. Employees who were once enthusiastic and positive might become cynical and complain more when quietly quitting.
What to look for:
- Seeming indifferent toward work outcomes
- Distancing from or turning on colleagues
- Suddenly not having or respecting organizational goals
- Being negative and complaining often
- Showing a general lack of enthusiasm
Lack of communication
Failure to communicate is a significant red flag of quiet quitting. Employees who disengage might become less responsive to emails, messages, or requests from leadership or colleagues. The communication breakdown can deepen the disconnect and hinder team collaboration.
What to look for:
- Not responding to emails
- Ignoring or not getting back to colleagues or managers
- Offering minimal feedback or updates on work
- Avoiding conversations about performance or career development
The consequences of ignoring quiet quitting
If you don’t adequately address quiet quitting, there can be a range of adverse outcomes that impact both individual employees and the organization. When disengagement goes unchecked, the far-reaching consequences can impact productivity, morale, business structure, and product or brand reputation.
Key impacts of ignoring quiet quitting include:
- Low productivity at work
- Decrease in team morale
- Reduced collaboration and innovation
- Increased turnover
- Higher rates of absenteeism
- Poor customer service or client relationship
- Reduced creativity
- Increased workload for engaged employees
- Diminished company culture and values
- Damaged brand reputation
How to address and prevent quiet quitting
Fortunately, there are effective ways to re-engage employees by addressing the concerns causing them to quit quietly. You can start by fostering a supportive work environment that focuses on aspects like communication, work-life balance, and engagement so employees feel more connected and motivated.
Fostering open communication
Open communication helps you identify and resolve issues that lead to disengagement and quiet quitting. A workplace environment should make employees feel comfortable in sharing their thoughts and concerns. They should feel confident in expressing and giving feedback without fearing repercussions.
Foster open communication by:
- Having regular one-on-one meetings
- Organizing team discussions
- Offering anonymous surveys to gauge employee satisfaction
- Looking for early signs of dissatisfaction
- Actively listening and responding to needs and complaints
Promoting work-life balance
In today’s workplace culture, promoting healthy work-life balance is non-negotiable. Balance prevents burnout and helps employees recharge and re-engage. Encourage taking breaks and ensure leadership respects time outside of work hours.
Promote work-life balance by:
- Offering flex schedules
- Encouraging and respecting boundaries
- Allowing employees to take time off
- Offering mental health days
- Making company-wide outside of work hours policies
Enhancing employee engagement
Boosting employee engagement is an effective way to prevent or reverse quiet quitting trends in your organization. Although it may feel daunting, there are simple and effective ways to enhance employee engagement.
Enhance employee engagement by:
- Giving meaningful work
- Providing opportunities for growth
- Recognizing employee contributions
- Creating professional development programs
- Offering leadership training
- Ensuring clear paths for advancement
- Celebrating achievements and milestones
Support your employees
Offering emotional and professional support can significantly improve employee engagement and retention rates. Empathy during times of stress, mental health support, or mentorship programs can all make a real impact on a struggling employee’s life. When employees believe that their company cares about them as people, they’re more likely to stay engaged with their jobs.
Support employees by:
- Making mental health resources accessible — like those offered by online therapy platform Talkspace
- Developing mentorship programs
- Offering career coaching
- Regularly checking in on employees
- Assessing workloads and making adjustments were necessary
- Consider adopting employee assistance programs (EAPs)
Taking some or all the steps above will help you address issues leading to quiet quitting in your organization. Request a demo from Talkspace today to find out how mental health professionals can help your employees manage stress, anxiety, or anything else interfering with their ability to do their best at work.
Sources:
- Harter, By Jim. 2023. Is Quiet Quitting real? Gallup.com, 17. May. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398306/quiet-quitting-real.aspx. Accessed September 4, 2024.
- Harter, By Jim. 2024. In new workplace, U.S. employee engagement stagnates. Gallup.com, 6. June. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/608675/new-workplace-employee-engagement-stagnates.aspx. Accessed September 4, 2024.