A silent revolution has taken root in the modern workplace. Employees worldwide are redefining their relationships with work through quiet quitting – a trend where staff fulfil only their core responsibilities while rejecting unpaid overtime, emotional investment, or "going the extra mile".
This phenomenon reflects deeper discontent with traditional work structures and a cultural shift toward prioritising well-being over corporate loyalty. For HR professionals and business leaders, understanding quiet quitting is critical to addressing disengagement and creating healthier workplaces that employees want to thrive in.
What is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting describes employees mentally disengaging from their roles while remaining physically present. Unlike traditional resignations, it involves withdrawing discretionary effort – completing tasks within strict job descriptions, avoiding overtime, and limiting emotional investment.
The term gained prominence in 2022 through TikTok but builds on long-standing issues like burnout and poor work-life balance. The movement is hailed as a pushback against hustle culture, where employees are often expected to be constantly available and to prioritise their jobs above their personal lives.
Key Characteristics of Quiet Quitters
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Minimal participation in meetings or team activities.
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Strict adherence to contracted hours.
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Declining "above and beyond" responsibilities like mentoring or volunteering for projects.
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Increased absenteeism or mental health days.
Gallup’s 2023 research found that 67% of workers in Australia and New Zealand identify themselves as quiet quitters, well above the global average. While often mislabelled as laziness, this trend frequently stems from systemic workplace issues rather than individual apathy.
What Leads to Quiet Quitting?
Employees don’t disengage without cause. Quiet quitting typically follows prolonged exposure to unsupportive work environments, with key drivers including:
1. Chronic Overwork and Burnout
The pandemic blurred the boundaries between professional and personal life, accelerating exhaustion. A 2022 Asana study found that 24% of workers experienced burnout four or more times yearly, with younger employees particularly affected. Persistent overtime, unrealistic deadlines, and inadequate recovery time push employees to "act their wage" as self-preservation.
2. Lack of Recognition and Growth
Employees feeling undervalued or stagnant often withdraw effort. Randstad’s 2023 report highlights that 57% of employees are ready to leave immediately if they feel unappreciated. Without clear career pathways or acknowledgement, motivation dwindles.
3. Toxic Work Cultures
Micromanagement, favouritism, and poor communication erode trust. Gallup notes that disengaged employees often feel disconnected from colleagues and organisational purpose. In such environments, quiet quitting becomes a passive resistance strategy.
4. Generational Shifts in Priorities
Gen Z and Millennials, who will comprise over 75% of Australia’s workforce by 2025, increasingly reject "hustle culture". Prioritising mental health, flexibility, and purposeful work, they’re redefining success beyond traditional corporate metrics.
A Cultural Shift: Employees Setting Boundaries
Quiet quitting symbolises a broader movement toward work-life balance and self-advocacy. Employees are no longer willing to sacrifice well-being for employer loyalty, instead establishing firm boundaries.
The Rise of "Soft" and "Hard" Boundaries
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Soft boundaries: Limiting email responses to business hours or delegating non-urgent tasks.
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Hard boundaries: Refusing overtime to care for dependents or protect mental health.
By openly discussing workloads and capacity, teams foster transparency and sustainable productivity.
Changing Mindset
Younger workers are normalising boundary-setting, with the same Gallup study noting a 4% drop in Gen Z/Millennial engagement since 2019. While some of this can be attributed to the pandemic, a lot of it is down to the difference in attitude towards the workplace. Their willingness to challenge outdated norms pressures employers to adapt, whether through hybrid policies, mental health support, or clearer role expectations.
The Organisational Impact
While quiet quitting benefits employees in the short term, it carries substantial business risks.
Employers risk significantly reduced innovation levels if team members feel disengaged. It leads to fewer (and often worse) ideas. The overall lowered morale also means that high performing employees feel they have uneven workloads. This can then lead to the high-performing high-motivation employees to seek other opportunities or become quiet quitters themselves.
The economic toll of quiet-quitting is enormous with an estimated $8.8 trillion ($14.04 trillion AUD) in lost productivity across the world every year.
Addressing Quiet Quitting: Strategies for HR Leaders
Combating disengagement requires systemic change.
1. Audit Workloads and Compensation
Regular check-ins and feedback sessions can help managers understand employee concerns before they escalate to disengagement. That, combined with a culture of appreciation, whether through promotions, pay raises, or even verbal recognition, can increase employee morale. You must also regularly benchmark salaries and ensure realistic task allocations to make sure the high performing employees do not feel overburdened and undervalued.
2. Foster Psychological Safety
Make your workplace a space where people feel safe to speak up and be themselves. Run anonymous surveys to spot issues early, and train leaders to actually listen. Note that it is the simple things that matter the most - like managers saying "I made a mistake" or "I need help" first, showing it's okay to be human.
3. Promote Boundary-Setting
Help people protect their time and energy. Block off meeting-free days and respect when people are off the clock. Lead by example; if managers aren't sending weekend emails, teams won't feel pressured to either. Having your employees feel like they have no down time will make them resent the management and eventually the organisation itself. Having qualified and decisive HR professionals in the organisation, like those who have a Graduate Certificate in Human Resources, will help employees set and maintain reasonable boundaries at work.
4. Invest in Development
Give people room to grow. Pair clear promotion paths with real learning opportunities and mentorship. Mix formal training with hands-on projects that stretch skills. Companies that do this well see people stick around much longer than companies that don’t. No one wants to feel stuck.
5. Leverage Flexibility
Trust people to work in ways that work for them. Whether it's hybrid, remote, or flexible hours – what matters is getting things done, not where or when. The proof? A Stanford study found that hybrid work arrangements had no real negative effects on bonding, culture, or innovation while massively increasing retention rates. The takeaway here is to focus on the results, not face time.
Quiet quitting isn’t a passing trend. It’s a symptom of outdated work models. As professionals prioritise well-being and autonomy, organisations must respond with cultures that value sustainability over relentless productivity. For employers who want to hire and then retain the best talent out there, addressing these shifts is paramount.
Website of Source: https://www.pwc.com.au/
Source: Story.KISSPR.com
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