Quiet Quitting | what you need to know
Perhaps my media bubble is uniquely attuned to it, but “quiet quitting” is popping up everywhere these days. The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, TikTok, a few podcasts. And now here, on my company site.
So what is it - and what do you need to know?
Quiet quitting is when an employee decides to stop going above and beyond - to execute the bullet points in their role description, clock off at 5pm, and call it a day.
Isn’t that just… doing their job? Yes. And it’s also a lightning rod - for some, a reasonable and perhaps overdue reaction to the state of the workplace. For others, a maddening symptom of a less-driven workforce. (More on that later.)
At its best, quiet quitting is about setting healthy boundaries while still delivering on your obligations to your employer.
At its worst, quiet quitting is a violation of trust, a sign that all is not well in your workplace, and a designation that perhaps attracts privileged employees (who can “get away with it”) and a few underperformers, who perhaps finally have a name for their previous approach to work.
In practice, it can be a little of each of these things and more of some others.
“Quiet quitting feels tempting…”
No coach will tell you not to set boundaries; on the contrary, you should. But a good one won’t endorse quietly checking out of a job either - at least without asking a few questions first. Apart from anything else, do you want your professional legacy and reputation to be defined by having checked out or let down your colleagues?
My take? If you’re spending time on something, give it your best shot or a good one, at least - and set those boundaries along the way. If there’s something broken in your worklife, endeavor to fix it before calling it quits. At best, you’ll reap fulfillment from your work, at worst, while you may not make friends, you’ll have given your best shot at improving things for yourself and for others.
More thoughts if you’re contemplating a quiet-quit:
Ask yourself what about quiet quitting appeals to you: If it’s about resetting your working hours from 60+ to a more reasonable number, then focus on that. Consider what that might look like in practice. Your line of work may preclude fully logging off, but perhaps you can sign off at 5 or 6, then do a 5-minute inbox check at 8, before switching off for the night. Not all emails are urgent and if you consistently reply outside of typical work hours, you set a foundational expectation that you’re always on. (I can’t tell you how much pre-scheduling emails improves my worklife hygiene - check if your email client lets you do this)
Talk to your manager. Or someone else. If you’re quiet quitting because your manager has not listened to or supported you, then consider talking to someone else in the organization. A more senior leader may be interested to know if good people are contemplating leaving (quietly or otherwise) so they can help support you and address the broader challenges. Psst - investing in management training might be a start.
Try to gauge if the situation is typical or temporary. Have you always felt overburdened in this role? if so, consider making changes and leaving (quietness optional). If this feeling is new, what has changed? What’s likely to improve - and what’s within your power to adjust? Who can you discuss these concerns with?
Consider job-crafting. If your scope of responsibilities has increased, it’s important to discuss salary and perhaps title. If your responsibilities have changed, but not grown, perhaps you’re quiet-quitting because you don’t like the work as much. How much of this is within your ability to influence? What steps need you take to adjust your new role? Are you able to enlist help or delegate more? Make informed recommendations about how the organization may best deploy you - for your gain and theirs.
“Members of my team are quietly quitting…”
If you’re a leader dealing with quiet quitters, consider what is within your sphere of influence. You can’t force people to do more (and that’s often counterproductive), but you should be able to create an environment where they feel empowered and motivated to contribute good work.
If you’re concerned about team members checking out or leaving:
Ask yourself why: what has changed? Is there a common thread? Are you asking people to do more than is reasonable? If so, how much can you and the organization better manage workloads and/or better compensate your team?
Listen to them: you may not be able to directly ask “Have you checked out?” - but you can and should be asking a lot of open questions, in the good times and the less good. From “How are you getting on with everything?” in your touchbase meetings and impromptu conversations - to “The dynamics around here have changed a bit; how is that playing out in your day-to-day experience?” and “I’ve noticed that you didn’t respond to the last few emails from the client; why was that the case?” Listen, listen well, and don’t jump in with assumptions or plans to solve everything. If you have solutions, great, but building a relationship where the other person feels heard and enjoys some agency is important. There will be time to share your thoughts later in the conversation.
Resist the urge to control: when something’s not going well, it’s tempting - even logical - to say “here’s what I need you to do to fix it.” And if you’re performing surgery, you absolutely should expect your team to follow such a command. But most of the time, a leader prescribing steps is going to sap motivation. People are typically motivated by autonomy, the opportunity to hone their skills, and a greater sense of purpose (shoutout to Daniel Pink). Consider these approaches instead: “What would you recommend?” “What do you need from me to keep things moving forward?” “I’d value your input on solving this problem” (rather than, “Do this task.”)
Establish and maintain open communication: everyone has different preferences in this respect, so get to know each member of your team. How do they prefer to receive feedback? How much 1:1 time do they benefit from? (Hint: it’s typically more at the start of their tenure and less as you build trust and they get to know how things work.) How can you best use the time you spend together? Don’t let poor performance fester. More thoughts on that here.
Offer praise, thanks, and recognition when warranted. As opposed to simply saying “Great job” all the time, or offering compliments for the sake of it (please don’t do that), take a moment to offer meaningful, specific positive feedback. This takes little time and is enormously motivating. It also encourages continued good performance.
Be thoughtful about roles and relationships. With role descriptions taking on renewed importance, consider this your reminder that the employer-employee compact is about more than structural obligations and processes. Consider the less-tangible aspects of culture and strategy - like trust, accountability, and empowerment.
With high employment, a seismic shift in how we think about work, and new norms around how we “show up”, it’s hardly surprising that people are reevaluating how they spend their time - and much about these shifts is outside of our control. But the urge to quietly quit is one employees and leaders alike should listen to and learn from.
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Ellie Hearne is a leadership-communications expert and founder of Pencil or Ink. She has worked with Apple, Google, Kate Spade, Marriott, Mastercard, Morgan Stanley, Oracle, Pfizer, Piaget, Spotify, Starbucks, and Twitter, among others, and has coached numerous individuals and teams. She holds a Master’s from the University of St Andrews and is studying Organisational Leadership at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. She’s been quoted in The New York Times and the Irish Times on workplace communications and in Business Insider on entrepreneurship.