Is ‘Quiet Quitting’ a Bad Idea?

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The Great Resignation isn’t the only phenomenon that employers should worry about these days. A TikTok video posted in July appears to have sparked a new trend: quiet quitting. The term doesn’t pertain to quitting one’s job. Rather, it’s about employees fulfilling the bare minimum requirements to keep their jobs. Those who pursue quiet quitting do not go above and beyond for work and would likely leave their workstations the moment they have rendered their contract hours.

Videos about quiet quitting have collectively amassed 556.6 million views on TikTok, and this number continues to increase at a fast pace. The phenomenon’s influence could lead to more employees, especially Zoomers, becoming disengaged with their jobs. Prior to the trend, a Gallup report found that only 36% of US employees are actively engaged in their work while 15% are actively disengaged.

This means more headaches for work teams should many employees pursue quiet quitting. The lack of motivation would likely result in underdeveloped workers. Performances and ultimately, sales, would also plateau since the true potential of the workforce is untapped. Moreover, friction between employees could occur since “quiet quitters” aren’t pulling their weight.

In retaliation, bosses have engaged in their own trend, quiet firing. Rather than firing employees, supervisors can make working conditions miserable so that certain people would quit of their own accord. Targeted employees won’t likely have raises and promotions, with the possibility of them receiving heftier workloads.

This would, then, contribute to the Great Resignation, as evidenced by the top reasons employees leave their jobs. Recent HR software statistics reveal that 41% of resigned employees cite the lack of career development as a major reason for leaving, 36% blame low pay, and 34% fault uncaring and uninspiring leaders.

An Emotional Response

With quiet quitting, the problem doesn’t always lie with employees and their perceived laziness. Sometimes it’s one’s response to undesirable working conditions, consistently heavy workloads, and unrealistic deadlines and demands. Many “quiet quitters” see it as a means of achieving a work-life balance and preventing burnout. Meanwhile, others view it as simply fulfilling what they signed up for. After all, employees miss out on $5,626 each year from unpaid work hours.

Quiet quitting can be a good move for those who deal with various concurrent tasks such as families raising kids or budding entrepreneurs establishing a business. It’s also advantageous to those who are active in the gig economy. With their mental faculties preserved after a job, they can take on more projects for a given period and significantly raise their incomes.

However, in most cases, quiet quitting is frowned upon by businesses for the aforesaid reasons. It could affect one’s standing in a company and potentially freezes career growth and opportunities. As such, it’s generally advisable to not put the trend into practice. Instead, workers can air out their complaints, suggestions, and recommendations to managers or to HR. In this way, companies can create better policies and work environments for their staff.

If a company refuses to listen to any of the requests or subjects those who placed requests to dirty office politics, submitting one’s resignation comes as a worthwhile option. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 11.2 million job openings to choose from in the country as of July 31.