Will “Quiet Quitting” be a Relic of 2022? 

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Chances are you didn’t hear the term “quiet quitting” until 2022. It’s not the most descriptive label given — it’s not actually quitting. Quiet quitting involves doing the bare minimum required of you in a job, which we used to call lack of engagement or motivation, low morale, and other more accurate descriptions. Gallup finds that quiet quitters make up at least 50 percent of the US workforce — probably more.  

For some people, quiet quitting may be another name for, or the product of, burnout, especially in the wake of the chaotic and challenging COVID-19 pandemic. It may feel like we’ve been stressed and unsure since 2020. When we’re stressed, we don’t always make the best decisions. Perhaps, we neglected ourselves more than usual during the pandemic. For example, maybe we thought we deserved that pint of ice cream because we were living in stressful times instead of making the responsible choice to have a scoop and put the rest away. Maybe, in working remotely, we didn’t set proper boundaries, thus, we were working or “on call” 24 hours a day instead of working a normal workday. All of this can lead to burnout, which means we likely aren’t motivated, and don’t have the energy, to do more than the bare minimum in our roles. With the added stress of the pandemic, it may have been hard to set ourselves right, as we normally would. This may explain, to some extent, the prevalence of quiet quitters, and the description’s emergence, this year. 

But, here are a couple of suggestions: As an employee, don’t be a quiet quitter. As an employer, get to the root causes of quiet quitting in your organization.  

Consider the following issues related to quiet quitting from the employee and employer perspectives. 

The employee perspective 

If you’re inclined to quiet quit, think instead about why you want to do the minimum at your current job. Are you no longer engaged and, if you’re not, why have you lost your engagement? If you’re not in love with your work anymore, take a look at my 7 Ways to Reignite Your Passion.  

One way to find your passion for work and reengage is to take part in other activities and hobbies outside of work. One of the benefits of this is that your outside activities will inform your work and vice versa. For example, I work a full-time job as senior legal counsel, which is my main focus. During my off time, I teach business law, write for various publications, and serve on a board. These endeavors inform my full-time work, and my full-time work informs my other undertakings. All of this increases my engagement, professionally and personally. Find your purpose(s), spark your joy, and allow that to motivate you in all aspects of your life.  

Additionally, if you’re quiet quitting, ask yourself if you still take pride in the work you’re doing. As a quiet quitter, you may be stagnating in a role in which you’re not challenging yourself with unfamiliar tasks or fulfilling your desire to add true value. As a result, you’re probably not growing professionally or personally.  

Finally, if you stay in a job in which you’re quiet quitting for too long, you might gain a reputation for being, at worst, a “slacker” or, at best, a mediocre employee. Thus, quiet quitting for an extended period can cause your reputation to take a hit and, in many industries like tech, it’s a smaller community than you think. Thus, you need to either find engagement in your current role or move on to a new job, or even a new career, where you’ll be inspired to work at your full potential. 

The employer perspective 

Compensation is an obvious motivator, so employers need to pay people fairly enough to take the issue of pay out of the equation completely. 

In addition to salary and other pay, gratitude goes a long way in encouraging engagement. Satisfaction remains high among employees when they feel others are thankful for their efforts. As Amy Rees Anderson writes, “A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected." When your employees do well, tell them publicly. Recognition is important from management and one’s peers, so employees are most likely to remain engaged in an organization with an entire culture of gratitude. 

This public gratitude can become more meaningful by rewarding a job well done, leading to higher levels of employee engagement. Think Smart’s research found that companies using incentive programs reported a 79 percent success rate in achieving their goals when offering the correct benefit. Companies like Hey Taco and Reward Gateway allow employers to introduce programs for their employees to reward each other and be rewarded by management and others. 

Alternatively, private and constructive coaching of employees who need it empowers those individuals to do their best work. If people don’t have access to proper training and don’t know how to do their jobs properly, they are likely to feel less engaged. When you don’t know what you’re doing, you may not be motivated to try too hard. On the other hand, if bosses give their employees the power to complete tasks with proper education and autonomy, they’re more likely to feel empowered and engaged and, thus, excel in their roles (and beyond).

Additionally, creating a culture around teamwork goes a long way in increasing employee experiences. People want to feel a sense of belonging and purpose, so they’re more likely to work at their highest levels when they’re part of something bigger than themselves. 

Leave it behind 

As we head into 2023, can we quit on quiet quitting? As employees, let’s take ownership of our own morale and better it or move on. As employers, let’s value our employees and give them the proper motivational tools to give them the best chance to succeed.