Quiet Quitting: What It Is, How To Spot It and What To Do About It

Quiet quitting has become a buzz term, but what does it actually mean? Is it an issue in your workplace and if so, what does that mean for you?

In our latest blog, we’re exploring where the term originated, why it’s trending and how to create an environment where everyone feels good and does their best work.

What is quiet quitting?

Economist Mark Boldger first coined the term in 2009, but a viral TikTok video by @zaidlepplin re-introduced – and some say, redefined - the idea of quiet quitting for Gen Z employees.

The captions to the TikTok video read: "Quitting the idea of going above and beyond at work. Work is NOT your life. Your worth is not defined by your productive output."

In this sense, it’s more of a wellbeing concept with sensible foundations. After all, there is more to life than work and we’d certainly agree you shouldn’t go above and beyond for the sake of presenteeism or see workaholism as a badge of honour.

However, the concept seems to have evolved from this definition to signify a lack of engagement and satisfaction at work. And when this is the case, it becomes an issue.

From our understanding, quiet quitting means an employee isn’t bringing their best self to work and we believe everyone should be supported to do this.

Should employees go “above and beyond” at work?

As an employer, you can’t expect anyone to work for free. And employees should never feel internal or external pressure to do more or be seen to do more.

Employers should want to create a positive employee experience and engage their employees so that in their working hours they do their best work.

When you love and care about your job, you might put in more hours or go the extra mile. If anyone works late in our office, it’s because they’re enjoying what they’re doing and don’t want to break off: it’s never because they’re being forced to complete a task or do more.

Most of us have stayed late or done extra work, but it should never be expected or enforced by the employer. Rather, it should be a choice you want to make for yourself, your customers, your team and your career.

Every organisation experiences peaks and troughs with deadlines, pitches, projects and workloads, and there may well be times you want to pull together and do more than is expected of you.

However, no employer should make employees feel obligated to put in unpaid overtime. The elastic may stretch at times, but never snap.

 Quiet quitting and presenteeism: two sides of a similar coin?

They show up as polar opposites, but quiet quitting and presenteeism are actually two sides of the same coin.

In both instances, employees likely feel disconnected in their workplace and either give up trying or work themselves into the ground to feel noticed and valued. In fact, Gallup's 2022 State of the Global Workplace report revealed UK employee engagement has been steadily decreasing over the past 10 years. So, if either of these issues is showing up in your workplace, you’re not alone and it’s great to want to take action to mitigate it.

How to take steps to prevent quiet quitting

The good news is, there’s plenty you can do right now to improve low engagement levels as an employer and stop quiet quitting in its tracks.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

Model positive workplace behaviour

If you want your employees to leave on time and enjoy a good work-life balance, set a good example by doing it yourself.

When they see you happily leave at 5pm to make that gym class or family dinner, it gives them permission to do the same without guilt or embarrassment.

Show your appreciation

Disengaged employees exhibiting signs of quiet quitting likely feel disconnected and undervalued in their work, so pay attention to the good work they do and show you recognise and appreciate their efforts.

Get to know the whole person

We spend a third of our lives at work, so building strong connections is so critical to building a high-performing, engaged team.

What’s their family situation? What did they do at the weekend? What are their hobbies and holiday plans? Those chats aren’t time wasted: they’re opportunities to explore connections, understand people’s values and motivations, look out for each other and recognise where extra support is needed.

When you support your team personally, it nurtures them to thrive professionally.

Communicate consistently

If your employees don’t feel they have a voice, quiet quitting can start to show up in your workplace.

Make sure they feel informed, listened to and understood by establishing a regular drumbeat of communication and frequent opportunities for them to speak directly to their line manager.

How to know if your employees are quiet quitting

The simplest way is to ask.

Engagement surveys are an important way of taking the temperature of your team and identifying areas for improvement.

If you’ve created an environment where people feel comfortable voicing their feelings and opinions, this is a fantastic way to find out if this is something you need to address. If you’re not sure, make it anonymous to help people feel more confident expressing themselves, you could try asking someone independent to ask them in a focus group.

A lack of engagement in your workplace is a signal you need to create a better employee experience - and we can help with that.

Contact Enthuse on 07812 343310 or email hello@enthuse-comms.co.uk for an informal chat, and we’ll take it from there.