Quiet quitting has become a popular term in 2022, as more employees embrace a work-life balance and establish clearer boundaries with their jobs. Quiet quitting refers to an employee doing only the bare minimum within their job description, without going above and beyond expectations. While still performing all the duties required, the employee no longer takes on additional work, works extra hours, or strives for promotions. This allows them to focus more time and energy on their personal life and well-being.
What does quietly quitting mean?
The term “quiet quitting” comes from employees quietly establishing a different dynamic in their work life, without making any dramatic declarations or actively quitting their job. It involves determining clear boundaries and not allowing work to overtake other important aspects of life. Employees continue to work and fulfill their duties, but without taking on unpaid overtime, extra projects, or work that falls outside of their main responsibilities.
Quiet quitting is often a response to feeling burned out or neglected at work. Employees begin rejecting hustle culture, extra hours, and going above and beyond for an employer that does not recognize their contributions. By doing less at work, employees aim to reduce stress and restore balance. However, some observers argue quiet quitting reflects employees being less committed and productive.
What does quietly quitting look like?
Employees who are quietly quitting still carry out their core job responsibilities during work hours. However, they likely embrace some of the following behaviors or attitudes:
- Not taking on additional duties outside of their job description
- Refusing to work extra hours, late nights, or weekends
- Taking all their vacation days and sick leave
- Saying “no” more often to additional projects and assignments
- Resisting answering emails and messages outside of work hours
- Not volunteering for new responsibilities or promotions
- Focusing only on assigned tasks instead of going above and beyond
- Pushing back against expectations to work while sick, on vacation, or during time off
Employees embracing quiet quitting are still performing their core duties. However, they are establishing boundaries against working unpaid overtime, taking on vague additional duties, and letting work expand to occupy more of their personal time.
Why are people quietly quitting their jobs?
There are several contributing factors that have led to the rise of quiet quitting, including:
- Burnout: Feeling exhausted, unsupported, and overworked can spur employees to do less at work. Quiet quitting allows burned out employees to regain balance.
- Poor work-life balance: After years of grind culture and hustling, many employees are now prioritizing lifestyle and flexibility over career advancement.
- Lack of recognition: When hard work goes unnoticed and unrewarded, employees may scale back to match their compensation and recognition.
- Remote work: Working from home makes employees reevaluate priorities and makes it easier to set boundaries.
- Rethinking work: Younger generations tend to have different attitudes toward work-life balance and rejecting hustle culture.
- The Great Resignation: Amid the wave of resignations, quiet quitting allows some employees to remain in their jobs while improving conditions.
Instead of actively looking for a new job, employees are quietly shifting dynamics in their current role by establishing stronger work-life boundaries and refusing to exceed their stated duties.
Quiet quitting vs. actual quitting
Despite the name, quiet quitting is distinctly different than completely quitting your job:
| Quiet quitting | Actual quitting |
|---|---|
| Remain in your current job | Leave your current job entirely |
| Fulfill your actual job duties | Stop working and fulfilling any duties |
| Set boundaries around extra work | Cease all work immediately |
| Say “no” more often to added work | Resign from your position |
| Don’t go above and beyond job description | Sever employment relationship |
| Refocus on personal life | Usually begin search for new job |
The core difference is that quiet quitting involves remaining in your job but changing your level of effort and priorities. Completely quitting means severing your employment altogether.
Examples of quietly quitting
Here are some hypothetical examples of employees embracing a quiet quitting approach:
- Mark used to routinely work 60+ hours a week in marketing. After quiet quitting, he now works his 40 contracted hours and declines any excess weekend or evening work.
- Valerie was taking on many extra HR projects outside her job description. She now focuses on her core duties and has stopped volunteering for extra work.
- Tom frequently monitored emails and messages outside work hours. He now ignores any non-urgent communication outside his normal workday.
- Madison used to schedule work calls over her lunch break. She now takes her full hour lunch without working.
- Alex regularly pitched ideas in meetings to improve team processes. He now sticks to required meeting discussions and doesn’t offer suggestions.
While still employed and satisfactorily performing in their roles, these employees have stepped back from going above and beyond at work in pursuit of better work-life balance.
Pros of quietly quitting for employees
Here are some potential upsides of quietly quitting your job from the employee perspective:
- Improved work-life balance and less burnout
- Better mental health and less stress
- More energy for personal priorities like family, friends, and hobbies
- Taking all your entitled time off and breaks
- Setting healthy boundaries with your employer
- More focus and productivity on core tasks
- Learning to say “no” and not be taken advantage of
- More time for professional development outside work
- Avoiding extra unpaid work hours
Employees can gain back time, energy, and focus by rejecting the pressure for extra effort and constant accessibility. This allows them to be more present and fulfilled in life outside work.
Cons of quietly quitting for employees
However, there are also some potential drawbacks of quietly quitting to consider:
- May hinder advancement opportunities or pay rises
- Can breed resentment, low motivation, or disengagement
- Limits developing skills outside core duties
- Coworkers may have to take on extra work
- Could reflect poorly on performance reviews
- Loss of sense of purpose or challenge at work
- Employer may ultimately terminate unmotivated workers
- Missing opportunities to gain new skills and experiences
If taken too far, quiet quitting could allow skills and performance to stagnate. It’s important to find the right balance for each individual situation.
Pros for employers
While quiet quitting may seem worrisome, there are some benefits for employers as well:
- Identify and address underlying issues causing burnout and low engagement
- Improve work allocation so duties are shared equitably
- Motivateintrinsic motivation over extrinsic motivation
- Offer flexibility and work-life balance where possible
- Develop skills and capacity across all employees
- Reassess which extra duties are necessary vs optional
- Renew focus on core business competencies
- Increase decision-making autonomy for employees
- Foster diversity, productivity, and retention with flexible policies
- Support mental health days, vacations, and healthy boundaries
Addressing the root causes behind quiet quitting can help refracture engagement, participation, and productivity across organizations.
Cons for employers
However, embracing quiet quitting does present some challenges for employers, like:
- Lower volunteerism for extra projects and initiatives
- Missed innovation opportunities without discretionary effort
- Pressure on managers if employees refuse extra work
- Difficulty meeting deadlines or turnaround with lower effort
- Reduced commitment, passion, and motivation
- Growth limitations if employees refuse promotions
- Culture may suffer if employees disengage
- Low willingness to cover colleagues or help teams
- Higher costs from turnover if employees leave
Organizations will need to balance employee well-being with operational requirements to create a mutually sustainable approach.
Should you embrace quiet quitting?
The decision around quietly quitting depends on your unique situation. It can backfire if taken to an extreme. Consider the following:
- Reflect on your priorities and well-being needs
- Audit your current duties and hours to identify excess
- Consider which extra efforts aren’t advancing your career
- Discuss a more sustainable workload with your manager
- Set clear work-life boundaries for yourself
- Find ways to automate or delegate unnecessary work
- Evaluate if changing jobs could improve your work-life balance
- Consider whether your workplace culture enables healthy boundaries
- Determine areas where you want to develop and grow skills
Assess whether quietly quitting could help restore passion and purpose or whether it risks disengagement and stagnation. Target realigning extra duties rather than core contributions.
Tips for employees considering quiet quitting
Here are some tips for employees thinking about embracing quiet quitting:
- Take inventory of all your extra duties and projects
- Have candid conversations with your manager
- Highlight areas of burnout and lack of work-life balance
- Suggest solutions, like dividing extra work or alternating quiet weeks
- Offer to train others to share workload more widely
- Volunteer to offload or automate any duplicative work
- Ask about shifting from five 8-hour days to four 10-hour days
- Request remote work days to reduce commuting time
- Track extra hours to demonstrate excessive work patterns
- Set clear out-of-office email and voicemail guidance
Have open and honest dialogue with your employer to reach a middle ground. Offer alternative solutions rather than just withdrawing efforts.
Tips for managers dealing with quiet quitting
For managers attempting to address quiet quitting on their team, consider the following tips:
- Avoid knee-jerk reactions or assumptions
- Meet with employees to understand their motivations and concerns
- Track workloads to identify unreasonable expectations
- Assess which extra duties could be suspended or reassigned
- Examine opportunities to cross-train employees to share work
- Outline required duties versus optional contributions
- Evaluate guidelines around responsiveness and after hours work
- Renew focus on mentorship, growth, and recognition
- Allow employees to take all their earned time off
- Discuss desires for career development or schedules changes
With empathy and open communication, managers can find solutions that work for both parties.
Key takeaways
Quiet quitting involves employees setting renewed boundaries to improve work-life balance and reduce burnout. While still performing required duties, workers reject extra unpaid hours, strive solely for baseline expectations, and shift focus to personal priorities. Employers should respond with understanding while still articulating business needs. With compromise, both parties can establish a new norm built on mutual respect and sustainable effort.