Quiet Quitting

Extract

Over the past few months, I have heard more and more in the media about quiet quitting. Headlines in the news include questions such as “What Is ‘Quiet Quitting’? and Why It’s Trending on Social Media” (Bretous, 2022), “Is Quiet Quitting Real?” (Harter, 2022), and “What Is ‘Quiet Quitting’ and How It May Be a Misnomer for Setting Boundaries at Work” (Kilpatrick, 2022).

What is Quiet Quitting?

While definitions vary, they all agree that in quiet quitting, one does not literally quit one’s job, but rather simply does the work that is expected of the position, without going above and beyond what is expected (Pearce, 2022). This phenomenon, first noted on TikTok, has become widespread. A recent Gallup poll found that quiet quitters made up over one half of U.S. employees in the second quarter of 2022 (Harter, 2022).

Why Are We Hearing about It Now?

During the pandemic, some employees saw how their work might be reimagined remotely or flexibly, while at the same time experiencing virtual burnout and blurring of work–home boundaries. Other employees, including many social workers, were labeled “essential workers,” and had huge and often dangerous in-person work demands placed on them. Postpandemic demands to return to work, coupled with work culture that provided little reward or opportunity for growth, resulted in disillusionment and disengagement for many workers. This led to the Great Resignation, where many who could afford to leave their jobs did so. For those who could not, or chose not to leave their jobs, quiet quitting was an alternative (Espada, 2022).