Managing in the age of ‘quiet quitting’

While “quiet quitting” may mean different things, the phenomenon is generally understood to refer to employees who feel disengaged at work and no longer believe they are a meaningful part of the company or its mission. Those who quiet quit report they have made a decision not to go “above and beyond” at work and will just meet the bare minimum of performance expectations.

How many are quiet quitting?

A lot. The results of a recent Gallup poll from June 2022 indicate that 50% of all workers reported they identify as quiet quitters. In other words, half the polled workers owned up to doing the bare minimum at work due to feeling disengaged. What is more astounding is that an additional 18% of workers—or nearly one in five—reported they are “actively disengaged” and vocal about their disatisfaction. Only 32% of workers reported they felt engaged.

How bad can it be?

While complaining about the job is an age-old rite and shares the attributes of “clock-punching,” more than two-thirds of the nation’s workforce report feeling disengaged and admitting they are doing the bare minimum to collect a paycheck. A significant percentage take to social media to share their discontent. The discontent appears to be increased with a focus on getting workers back in the office. This level of dissatisfaction has ramifications for your company.