Amidst COVID, A 20-something engineer, Zaid Khan, posted a video on TikTok and introduced millions of people to 'Quiet Quitting' as:

Some of the reports say that the concept of quiet quitting was initially inspired by the Chinese hashtag #TangPing, which translates to 'lay flat.' This term was used as a form of protest against the prevalent culture of overworking in China. It resonated with many, leading to its adoption in the context of employee behavior.

From an employer's point of view, quiet quitting means a person is not doing his job as dedicatedly as he is being paid for. This behavior can significantly impact the workplace, affecting productivity and morale.

The Vocal Response to Quiet Quitting

Since the concept of the quiet quitting trend went viral on the internet, people are sharing their views. Many support the stance, saying silent quitting is a safeguard to your mental health; there should be a work-life balance; one must question one's job choices and prioritize time with family. Going above and beyond does not mean being burned out. Many would also nod against it.

A Pew Research Center survey in 2021 highlighted that Americans mainly quit their jobs due to limited career growth, low wages, and a lack of respect.

According to Gallup, Quiet quitters make up 50% or probably more of the U.S. workforce. In the second quarter of 2022, U.S. employee engagement saw a further decline, and the rate of actively disengaged workers rose to 18%. This resulted in an engagement-to-disengagement ratio of 1.8 to 1, the lowest in nearly ten years.

The overall drop was notably tied to unclear expectations, fewer opportunities for development, a lack of care from the organization, and a diminished sense of connection to the company's mission or purpose.

What Does Quiet Quitting Look Like in Action?

Quiet quitting happens when employees do just enough to meet their job requirements and stop putting in extra effort.Signs of quiet quitting can be seen in several practical ways:

• Avoiding Extra Tasks: Employees avoid volunteering for additional work, leadership roles, or extra responsibilities. They stick strictly to their assigned tasks and avoid taking on new projects or initiatives.
• Limited Engagement in Meetings: They remain silent during meetings unless directly asked to speak or contribute. They avoid offering ideas, feedback, or taking part in discussions unless specifically required.
• Ignoring After-Hours Communication: Employees often do not respond to emails, messages, or calls outside their regular work hours. They draw a clear line between work time and personal time.
• Rejecting Work Beyond Job Description: They decline tasks or projects that fall outside their defined job role, sticking only to their primary responsibilities and avoiding tasks not part of their job description.
• Social Isolation:Quiet quitters withdraw from team interactions, social events, and informal gatherings. They avoid building relationships with colleagues and may isolate themselves from team dynamics.
• Increased Absenteeism:They take more sick days or show higher absenteeism in order to avoid working. This suggests that they are not enthusiastic or engaged in their task.

All things considered, silent resignation denotes a change in emphasis from going above and beyond to completing tasks with the least amount of additional effort.

To create a sense of purpose and belonging among their team members, managers must regularly communicate to them the value of their contributions because employees feel more purposeful at work when they can understand how their work fits into the bigger picture.

Why the Silence? Uncovering the Reasons Behind Quiet Quitting

On uncovering, we learn the main reason for behaviors like quiet quitting is employees not being valued at work. This implies that the organization that they are working for has a less-than-ideal environment. There are places where employees cannot speak for themselves which also results in feeling unsafe when sharing their concerns.

For example, according to Gallup reports, many employees do not report unethical behavior they have witnessed at work. Although 90% say they are going to report it, out of them only 40% do. A major reason for this is a lack of trust in whether the employer will address the issue properly. Employees who believe their employer will act reasonably are 24 percentage points more likely to report such problems.

Digging the term widely, "quiet quitting" and "bare minimum Mondays" suggest that employees prioritize their well-being over their jobs. This is often because they are trying to avoid burnout.

Gallup identifies unfair treatment as a significant cause of burnout. Therefore, high levels of burnout in an organization may indicate fairness issues rather than productivity problems.

To sum up all this, when employees remain silent, it might be a sign that (a) they find their work environment unfair and unsustainable and (b) they believe the relationship with their employer is unlikely to improve.

Quiet Quitting Gaining Popularity Among Gen Z

Interestingly for Gen Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) workers, quiet quitting has evolved into "resenteeism." Employers have mixed reviews about them when it comes to their workplace engagement.

“Resenteeism, a combination of “resentment” and “absenteeism,” describes a growing trend where employees remain in dissatisfying roles”.

Although this generation is too casual, sometimes even difficult to work with, workplace dissatisfaction has become such a hot topic for them as well. Gen Z feels stuck because they cannot find a better-suited job, they believe they will not be able to move elsewhere.

The following are different reasons for Gen Z triggering quiet quitting.

• Economic Uncertainty:Gen Z faces job market volatility, influencing skepticism towards traditional employment stability.
• Work-Life Balance Priorities: This generation prioritizes flexibility and personal well-being over strict job loyalty.
• Greater Awareness of Mental Health:Heightened sensitivity to mental health fosters resistance to stressful, traditional work environments.
• Desire for Meaningful Work: Gen Z seeks jobs that offer a sense of purpose and align with their values.
• Influence of social media:Exposure to alternative career paths on social media inspires a preference for non-traditional roles.
• Advocacy for Equity and TransparencyA strong focus on social justice leads to demands for fairness and openness in workplace culture.

Although Gen Z is youthful and energetic the above factors push them to Quiet Quitting. Open communication, open culture, flexible work schedule and career development programs are some useful organizational tools to mitigate resenteeism and quiet quitting especially among Gen Z.

Reimagining Employee Engagement to Overcome Quiet Quitting

Now that we have a clear idea of how quiet quitting signals issues within organizational culture and leadership. So, it means rather than seeing it as a management problem, one should view it as an opportunity to reimagine how to engage with employees.

Fix Manager-Employee Connections:
Imagine crossing a bridge that feels shaky; every step you take will fill you with doubts about whether to move forward or go back. Managers are the bridge between employees and the organization.

Strengthening the connection between managers and employees is at the heart of resolving quietly quitting. Managers should be trained in technical skills, empathy, active listening, and personal engagement. Understanding employees' life situations, strengths, and aspirations can transform workplace dynamics.

Cultivating Regular, Meaningful Conversations:
One of the most impactful changes can be instituting weekly, meaningful, one-on-one conversations between managers and their team members. These 15-30-minute discussions allow employees to express their concerns, receive feedback, and feel valued. It is about more than just performance reviews; it is about genuine human connection.

Aligning Work with Purpose:
So, work satisfaction has become more closely linked to a purpose. Motivation is frequently based on knowing how one's position contributes to larger corporate goals.

Employees who are unclear about how their labor affects corporate success may feel detached and devalued. Managers can solve this by continually emphasizing the value of each team member's contributions, allowing them to recognize their place in the larger picture.

Flexibility and Trust in Work Arrangements:
It is important to consider worker satisfaction and efficiency while creating on-site, remote, or hybrid work settings. Encouraging people to choose the work arrangement that best matches their needs can assist in minimizing burnout and boosting morale.
Keep in mind! Adaptability is not a weakness but a virtue.

Creating an Inclusive Culture:
Employees who feel appreciated and part of the organization's community must be fostered. Promoting diversity, appreciating varied contributions, and guaranteeing equitable treatment at all levels are all necessary to achieve this. Respected and essential to the success of the company is an engaged workforce.

Organizations may reverse the trend of employee attrition and cultivate a more devoted, driven staff by reconsidering engagement tactics and emphasizing the importance of manager-employee connections.

StaffViz—Helping Organizations Eliminate Quiet Quitting

Till now, we understood that the major factor for Quiet Quitting is not getting recognized for your efforts. This is quite the problem when you put your heart and soul into something and yet do not get any recognition for your efforts.

Organizations with hundreds and thousands of employees find it hard to identify the workers, putting in extra effort, but StaffViz makes it possible. How?!

StaffViz keeps track of every employee's activity in real-time and creates logs that showcase the overall performance of everyone within the organization. This way, the management gets the KPIs for each employee along with the top performers.
So, that's how easy it is with StaffViz to eliminate Quiet Quitting.