Quiet quitting is a new phenomenon in the professional realm

Today, many of us often stress the importance of leisure but that isn’t to downplay the value of earned success and being fully present in the professional world. The workplace is changing due to employees' demands for more freedom and responsibility and a better work-life balance. As a result, many of us have witnessed a surge in concepts like “Bare Minimum Mondays,” “Quiet Quitting,” “Lazy Girl Jobs”, and “The Great Resignation.” Nonetheless, these developments have sparked extensive discussion about the ethical implications for the workplace.

Several factors such as lack of trust, lack of consistency, lack of feeling valued, lack of feeling neglected and not being communicated create a sense of disconnection and frustration among employees resulting in a sense of numbness and discontentment in career and eventually seep into personal lives, just as burnout.

The term Quiet Quitting or intense dissatisfaction has taken the world by storm, due to the impact of the pandemic, with many workers beginning to reconsider their priorities and boundaries in the workplace. In the early 2020s, driven largely by social media, the term ‘quiet quitting’ emerged as a much-publicized trend in the United States and elsewhere.

The term refers to a situation where employees disengage from their jobs or the organization without openly expressing their dissatisfaction or resignation. Instead, they become emotionally detached and disinterested, which leads to reduced productivity, decreased morale and ultimately a decision to leave the company quietly. It is not always a coordinated or planned move conducted by a group of workers to express their displeasure with the organization’s policy rather a subtle form of withdrawal, often overlooked but with significant implications for organizations and individuals alike. There are multifaceted root causes of quitting. Some feel a lack of recognition and reward is the cause, while some blame poor management.

Nowadays, the occurrence has amassed a sizable following on social media and is now seen as a movement. Studies and research have shown that around 59% of workers worldwide are ‘quite quitting’ estimated to be costing the global economy $8.8 trillion. Employers must build relationships with their employees so that they can be treated fairly. Being valued at work can prevent employees from experiencing burnout and various health issues arising from being unhappy at their jobs. Employees need to see a clear path to advancement, they may lose motivation and engagement.

Remember every worker, every employee working in the organization has a different circumstance within their workplace. Quiet quitting can lead a few to decreased productivity and creativity and at the same time can also impact mental health, causing stress and dissatisfaction. Addressing these factors requires fostering a workplace culture built on trust, consistency, appreciation, a sense of belonging and effective communication. Only when these psychological needs are met, employees will be more likely to engage with their work, thereby reducing the risk of quitting and turnover. When an employee feels motivated, happy, challenged and optimistic, will they be much more likely to expend additional efforts, work a little harder, stay a little longer and above all carry a positive attitude. People do matter. Don’t let them quit.

(The writer is an educator, views are personal)