What is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting has become one of the most talked-about workplace trends of recent years. Despite the name, it doesn’t usually involve quitting. Instead, it describes a shift in how employees engage with their work - one that can have a significant impact on productivity, morale, and retention if left unaddressed.

Understanding what quiet quitting really is, why it happens, and how organizations can respond is essential for leaders who want to build sustainable, high-performing teams.

What is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting refers to employees doing exactly what their job requires, and no more. They meet the formal expectations of their role, but stop volunteering for extra tasks, working late, or emotionally investing beyond what they are paid to do.

This is not laziness or poor performance. Quiet quitters typically complete their core responsibilities competently. The change is in discretionary effort - the ‘extra mile’ that often goes unnoticed or unrewarded.

For many employees, quiet quitting is less about disengagement and more about self-protection.

How to spot quiet quitting

Quiet quitting can look different depending on the role, organization, and individual themselves, but common examples include:

• Strictly working contracted hours
  An employee who previously stayed late or logged on early now logs off exactly on time and rarely responds to emails outside working hours.
  
  
• Becoming less proactive
  Team members who previously showed an appetite to progress are no longer sharing new ideas or volunteering for new projects or responsibilities.
  
  
• Minimal participation in meetings
  Employees attend meetings but contribute only when required, no longer offering ideas, feedback, or creative input.
  
  
• Reduced emotional investment
  Individuals remain polite and professional but are less enthusiastic, less vocal, and less connected to outcomes.

• Attention to detail suffers
  Uncharacteristic mistakes or typos from employees who previously took great pride in their work can also be a sign that something is wrong.

• Doing the job, not the role-plus
  Employees deliver what is asked, but no longer anticipate problems, go above and beyond for customers, or act as informal mentors

Importantly, many quiet quitters were once highly engaged employees.

What causes quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting is often a response to workplace conditions rather than an individual failing. Common drivers include:

• Burnout and chronic overwork
  When extra effort becomes expected rather than exceptional, employees may pull back to preserve their health.
  

• Lack of recognition or reward
  If additional effort or achievements consistently go unnoticed or unrewarded, employees learn that it isn’t worth giving more.
  

• Unclear expectations
  When role boundaries are blurred, some employees may feel exploited rather than empowered.
  

• Limited growth opportunities
  High performers who see no path forward may disengage rather than leave immediately.
  

• Distrust or poor leadership
  Micromanagement, inconsistent decision-making or lack of transparency can erode motivation.

• Feeling unheard
  Employees that have voiced their concerns and taken steps to remedy problems but feel this has been ignored may begin to show signs of quiet quitting.
  

• Favoritism
  When individuals feel ignored in favour of other team members they begin to learn that their efforts aren’t treated equally and withdraw. 

In many cases, quiet quitting is a rational response to feeling undervalued or stretched too far.

Why quiet quitting matters to employers

While quiet quitting may not trigger immediate performance issues, it can quietly damage an organization over time.

Reduced discretionary effort can lead to:

• Lower innovation and creativity
  
  
• Slower problem-solving
  
  
• Decreased customer experience quality
  
  
• Higher long-term turnover
  
  

Teams may appear stable on paper while engagement and momentum steadily decline.

How can employers address quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting is not solved by demanding more commitment or labeling employees as unmotivated. It requires thoughtful leadership and structural change.

Clarify roles and expectations

Employees should know what is required, what is optional, and how extra effort is recognized. Clear boundaries reduce resentment and ambiguity.

Recognize and reward contribution

Recognition doesn’t always have to be financial, but it must be genuine and consistent. Public acknowledgment, development opportunities, and meaningful feedback all matter.

Address workload and burnout

Leaders should regularly assess whether expectations are realistic. Sustained overwork leads to disengagement, not loyalty.

Create visible growth pathways

Employees are more likely to stay engaged when they see how effort connects to progression, skill development, or new opportunities.

Rebuild trust through leadership behavior

Listening to feedback, following through on commitments, and modeling healthy boundaries can re-engage employees more effectively than policy changes alone.

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Quiet quitting is often framed as a threat to productivity. In reality, it is a signal - one that many employees are reassessing how much they give to work and at what cost.

Organizations that respond by improving clarity, fairness, and sustainability will not only reduce quiet quitting but also build stronger, more resilient teams in the process.

The goal isn’t to push people to do more. It’s to create workplaces where people want to work.