Despite what the name implies, it doesn't make you a bad employee. You are likely frustrated, overworked and under-valued. And if you run a business or manage people, you should pay close attention because quiet quitting is a sign of an unhappy workforce. It's a symptom resulting from other problems.

The roots of Quiet Quitting

The phrase 'quiet quitting' became popular when people started talking about it on social media. It's when you do exactly what your job requires and nothing more. Some see this as laziness—after all, an organisation excels when its people go above and beyond duty—but others relate it to burnout and job responsibilities that have grown far beyond their titles.

It's not a coincidence that the phrase became popular in a period where recessions and remote working have prompted companies to do a lot more with much less. You can't expect to excel at your job if you don't put in a little extra. But the trend of quiet quitting suggests that many people feel this exchange with their employers has become unbalanced. Yet rather than take the risk of resigning their jobs or doing so little that it risks insubordination (and getting fired), some people protest passively by doing only what they are hired to do.

Quiet quitting is not entirely the fault of employers. Employees can quiet quit for the wrong reasons. But they are not doing it because they are lazy. They are quiet quitting because they are frustrated and feeling under-appreciated. Addressing quiet quitting is a way for companies to improve the spirit of their employees and for people to find meaning in their jobs.

How To Fix Quiet Quitting

If you consider quiet quitters as lazy, you've missed the point of their unhappiness. And if you are quiet quitting with no expectation of change, you are wasting your time and energy. Let's see what both sides can do: it comes down to communication, empathy and proactive action.

If you are an employer, pay attention to a concept called Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB), which refers to employees' discretionary behaviour that goes beyond their job duties. You can also call this employees' buy-in of your company's purpose and success. Within this realm, you'll find 'citizenship fatigue', which is the erosion of positive OCB.

You can reinforce OCB in several ways. Pay attention and listen to what your people are saying and actually need. But don't just rely on hearsay and suggestions: collect data about the workplace experience through surveys and employee engagement platforms.

Watch out for hustle culture, which expects employees to go all out for you. Instead, focus on aligning your expectations with their motivations and needs. Above all, look out for job creep or responsibility creep. As the phrases suggest, this is when more and more responsibilities are added to a role without clear limitations, compensation or promotion.

As an employee, you might feel entirely like the victim in this equation. Chances are that you're right: quiet quitting often stems from unbalanced work environments and management needing more empathy for their workers. But there are also several ways that you might be making it worse.

Quiet quitting is not an excuse to kick back. There is such a thing called presenteeism, which is to do as little as possible while at work. That's closer to being lazy, while quiet quitting is about feeling underappreciated or overworked. What you can do is become better and more efficient—if you are only going to do precisely what your job entails, do it well and smartly. Show that you are capable and maintain a positive attitude. A negative outlook will erode your focus and prospects. Remember, this is a protest, not a vacation.

It's also a short-term protest: quiet quitting is not sustainable. Eventually, something will break, and if your employers are not aware enough to see the problems, you will need to be the solution. Focus on your career growth. Can you learn new skills? Can you turn additional responsibilities into new career prospects? Be proactive: if your quiet quitting is only about spite and resentment, your situation will only become worse.

Yet the most important: have you spoken to your boss? This is an uncomfortable conversation to initiate, but don't expect your manager to know how you feel. Write a list of things that would make your work life easier or more positive if they were in place, and chat with your employers about these ideas. If you quiet quit without talking to your boss, preferring to vent online or elsewhere, you're just being irresponsible.

Quiet quitting is a sign of unhappy and overworked employees in an indifferent and stressed-out workplace. The solutions lie in communication and common ground. We're all expected to do more with less and to go the extra mile. But we don't have to do it alone or always on someone else's terms.

Grow your business your way

Our range of SMART solutions helps you focus on your small business and taking care of employees, while we focus on the technology to help you grow.