Mostly used by members of Generation Z, who have helped the term go viral on TikTok, “Quiet Quitting” is the idea of not taking work too seriously.

Studies show that COVID-19 has led to stress, burnout, and a general lack of interest among workers, all culminating in tendencies such as quiet quitting.

Working from home has shown us that work can leave us time to pursue our other interests and relax.

Workforce studies that show the new realities at work, on the other hand, show that the quiet quitting trend is more than just a social media fad.

Quiet Quitting is more about employees’ inability to cope with work stress and burnout. 

The following will help you connect the dots!

~ According to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, 36,000 individuals, aged 18 to 26 are most concerned about safety, health, money, friends and family, and staying connected.

~ Microsoft polled 30,000 workers and found that 54% of Gen Z workers think about leaving their jobs but are hesitant to do so.

~ Research shows that burnout is a big risk in the workplace, especially for younger Gen Z workers in their 20s. 

~ The World Economic Forum lists “youth disillusionment” as the eighth of 10 immediate risks in its 2021 Global Risks Report. 

~ Findings include that mental health has been getting worse since the start of the pandemic. This means that 80% of young people around the world are at risk of depression, anxiety, and feeling down.

A Harvard Business Review survey found that quiet quitting is usually less about an employee’s willingness to work harder and more creatively and more about a manager’s inability to build a relationship with their employees so that they are not counting down the minutes until they can leave.

The survey looked at ratings of 2,801 managers given by 13,048 of their direct reports from 2020.

It was found that the least effective managers have three to four times as many “quiet quitters” as the most effective leaders.

At some point in their careers, many people have worked for a boss who made them want to quit quietly. 

This is because they feel: 

~ Unappreciated 

~ Undervalued

There’s a chance that the managers were biased or did things that weren’t right. Because of what the manager did, the workers didn’t have any drive.

Experts say that the so-called “passion economy,” in which people do more of what they love, has ushered in a new era of side jobs, from making crafts to running for office.

Hence instead of outrightly leaving the job, what seems like a more rational option is to “Quiet Quit”.

2022 State of the Global Workplace report by Gallup shows that only 21% of workers are engaged at work.

Gallup says that the mottoes of most workers around the world are “living for the weekend,” “watching the clock tick,” and “work is just a paycheck.”

Much needs to be seen about where this trend of “Quiet Quitting” is going to be, and how it will impact organizations in the long term.

How do you deal with quiet quitters in your organization?