What is 'Quiet Quitting'?
What is 'Quiet Quitting'?
Definition: "Quiet Quitting" is when people give their job only the bare minimum of effort necessary to avoid being sacked.
It is a big problem. But what causes it and what can be done about it?
What causes Quiet Quitting?
Quiet Quitting has many causes, some originating in the minds of individual workers; some originating in the minds of managers; and some in the company culture and conditions.
Consequently, the solutions to Quiet Quitting are in three places, individual workers, managers, and organisational cultures.
1. Quiet Quitting caused by the company culture.
Some company cultures are bad; their processes and conditions make life difficult or unpleasant for workers.
When workers join the company, they are usually happy to be there and motivated to give it "their best".
But within a few weeks, they begin to realise that the company culture is unreasonable (in terms of the volume and intensity of work demands), or emotionally destructive, (in terms of the way they are spoken to and treated by senior members of the organisation).
These unreasonable and destructive forces rapidly eat-away at the motivation and commitment of workers. Consequently the workers start withdrawing their support for the company and its objectives, doing only the bare minimum work, effectively they 'Quietly Quit'.
The solution to the problem is to fix the company culture which makes life unpleasant for workers.
This is best done by proper Leadership Training, which should be given to the senior management team, so that they can learn what needs to change, and cascade the changes down the hierarchy so that the benefits are felt by every member of the group.
2. Quiet Quitting caused by bad supervisory managers.
Most company cultures are good, but they contain small pockets of bad practice, which is caused by the actions of one or two bad supervisory managers.
Bad behaviour by a small number of supervisory managers may include, bullying, sarcastic humour, overworking, laziness, incompetence, inconsistent application of standards, sexual harassment, racism, or any one of other forms of irrationality.
The bad behaviour of individual supervisors causes the same reduction of motivation and commitment in the workers. They withdraw their emotional support for the business, and they Quietly Quit.
Again, the solution is training. We need to train the individual supervisors, who need to learn better techniques of managing people. Information on such Supervisory Training can be found here.
3. Quiet Quitting caused by the individual employee.
Some organisations have terrific cultures and great supervisors, and some people still quit!
They quit either for honest, or dishonest personal reasons.
Honest personal reasons for Quiet Quitting
Honest personal reasons for quiet quitting include health issues, family issues and relationships issues. All of which occupy the person's mind to such a degree that they have no more energy to invest in giving their best to their work.
The solution to this is not easy to find, since it is buried in the personal life of individuals.
But the organisation should attempt to do whatever they can to understand and support their employee through these temporary difficulties.
Dishonest Quiet Quitting by employees.
This is simple laziness, which is the result of an arbitrary decision by individuals.
Every moment, we each decide how much energy to invest into our work. Most people are honest and exert their best efforts. But some people are dishonest and lazy.
And it is nobody else's fault.
The solution to this problem may be found in training, because many people can be motivated by the right Personal Development Training,
Definition: Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting is when a worker, in the business world, knowingly limits effort to what the job contract demands. The person keeps the post, gives no notice and stays silent, yet offers no extra energy because poor culture, weak management or personal strain has drained their drive.
Show CG4D Definition
- Worker gives only the least effort needed to stay employed
- Worker withholds all extra or discretionary effort
- Worker remains in the role without open protest or resignation
- Behaviour stems from disengagement caused by culture, poor management or personal strain
Article Summary
Quiet quitting happens when workers give only the minimum because culture, poor managers or personal issues remove the payoff for extra effort; fix each cause with clear goals, fair treatment and targeted training that rebuilds trust and sparks full engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.
What does quiet quitting mean?
What are the main causes of quiet quitting?
How does a toxic workplace culture spark quiet quitting?
How can bad managers push people towards quiet quitting?
Can personal issues cause quiet quitting?
How can leaders prevent quiet quitting and boost engagement?
Is quiet quitting just laziness?
Thought of something that's not been answered? Ask Us Today!
Did You Know: Key Statistics
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024 reports that only 23% of employees are engaged at work, while 18% are actively disengaged – the highest disengagement level recorded since 2020. CIPD Good Work Index 2024 finds that 38% of UK employees have reduced discretionary effort in the last 12 months because of poor management or a negative workplace culture.About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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