Quiet quitting: what it means, why it happens and how to prevent it
Quiet quitting is not another HR buzzword, it’s a reality happening in workplaces everywhere. It not about walking out the door, but about mentally disengaging while still turning up for work. In this blog we’ll define quiet quitting, trace its roots, explore how widespread it is, unpack why it happens and then deliver practical ways for employers and managers to prevent it — including how thoughtful workplace support and personalized services can improve employee experience and reinforce positive work culture.
What is quiet quitting?
Quiet quitting definition
Quiet quitting describes employees who do exactly what their job description requires and nothing more — no extra effort, no volunteering for additional tasks, no late nights or extra hustle. They’re still on the payroll but mentally checked out and disengaged from the work and often the organization’s mission. You might see the terms silent quitting, soft quitting or quiet resignation used to describe the same behavior.
Where did quiet quitting come from?
The term “quiet quitting” exploded on TikTok in 2022, capturing a moment when employees reassessed work and life priorities after the pandemic. Some observers traced this back to China’s #TangPing or lying flat movement — a mindset of resisting overwork and the relentless hustle culture that preceded it. What made the term stick wasn’t that the behavior suddenly appeared, but that social media amplified a long-standing frustration that many employees already felt.
Quiet quitting vs quiet firing: what’s the difference?
Quiet quitting and quiet firing are very different, even if they sound similar. Quiet quitting is employee-initiated disengagement — workers pulling back rather than throwing in the towel outright. Quiet firing is employer initiated — when managers subtly push people out by reducing responsibilities, excluding them from meaningful work, or creating an environment where staying feels unrewarding. Both reflect a breakdown in the psychological contract between employer and employee, and often one fuels the other.
How common is quiet quitting in the workplace?
Key statistics on employee disengagement
Quiet quitting isn’t fringe, it’s widespread. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2025 shows only about 23% of employees globally feel truly engaged, meaning a large majority are not fully invested in their jobs and may be effectively quiet quitting — contributing to an $8.9 trillion economy-wide cost in lost productivity.
Paychex research puts the proportion of employees identifying themselves as quiet quitters at roughly 64% — a striking majority of the workforce. Remote workers were most likely to say they were quiet quitters (about 81%), followed by hybrid (61%) and in-office employees (38%).
Who is most likely to quiet quit?
Paychex also reports that quiet quitting isn’t evenly distributed. Remote workers — often working without everyday in-person connection to colleagues or managers — report the highest rates of doing just the minimum. Hybrid workers fall in the middle, and those in traditional office settings show the lowest rates.
Younger workers under 35 have shown the greatest decline in engagement over recent years, further indicating a generational pattern in how people relate to work, meaning Gen-Y and Gen-Z employees are more prone to quiet quitting when their needs for meaningful work and visibility aren’t met.
Why do employees quiet quit?
Burnout and work overload
Burnout isn’t just a feeling — it can escalate into silent burnout, a quiet erosion of energy and engagement that pushes employees toward quiet quitting. A 2025 study from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (AJPM) shows burnout costs American employers between $4,000 and $21,000 per employee annually due to lost productivity and turnover — adding up to about $5 million for a company of 1,000 people.
That’s burnout’s economic toll. On the human side, chronic overload makes employees retreat into self-preservation. This retreat, sometimes called quiet cracking, is where workers continue showing up but without energy to engage beyond the bare minimum.
Lack of recognition and feeling undervalued
People need to feel seen. When extra effort goes unnoticed, motivation drains fast. Surveys show disengaged employees feel undervalued at a rate much higher than their engaged counterparts. When contributions aren’t acknowledged, the natural response is to stop giving extra effort.
Poor management and communication gaps
Managers matter. When employees feel their managers don’t listen or lack empathy, disengagement accelerates. In fact, only about one in three managers are engaged themselves — and managers directly influence roughly 70% of team engagement outcomes.
Limited career growth opportunities
Stagnation wears people down. Some employees respond by job hugging (staying in their role for security while mentally checking out) which can accelerate quiet quitting.
Compensation that doesn’t match expectations
Money isn’t everything, but it matters. When employees feel they aren’t fairly compensated for the effort they give, they’re psychologically inclined to act their wage — giving only what they’re paid for. Research shows compensation concerns influence whether employees adopt quiet quitting behaviors.
Work-life imbalance and daily stress
Quiet quitting doesn’t happen in isolation from life. When people juggle personal errands, family demands and workplace duties without support, their mental bandwidth shrinks. That’s where thoughtful work life support like concierge and workplace amenities make a difference. They free up cognitive energy so employees bring focus and enthusiasm to their roles.
Warning signs of quiet quitting
Behavioral red flags
Employees slipping into quiet quitting often show subtle behavior shifts: frequent complaining about workload, resistance to taking on extra tasks, habitually coming in late or leaving early, skipping optional meetings and reduced social interaction with colleagues.
Performance indicators
Quiet quitting often shows up as missed deadlines, declining quality of work, minimal participation in team projects and doing precisely what’s required, nothing more. These patterns may be easy to overlook at first but become clearer over time.
Emotional and social withdrawal
Disengaged employees often pull back emotionally. They may avoid team events, tune out in meetings and isolate themselves from collaboration, weakening the importance of connection in the workplace and eroding employee well-being overall.
The true cost of quiet quitting for businesses
Impact on productivity and team morale
Quiet quitting isn’t isolated to a single person — it’s contagious. When one worker disengages, others notice and team cohesion suffers. Productivity dips, morale slides and a culture of doing the minimum can take hold, dragging down performance across the entire organization.
Hidden costs: turnover, hiring and training
Even if quiet quitters don’t leave immediately, they often eventually quit. Replacing an employee can cost 50-200% of their annual salary when you factor recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity and training. With burnout already costing millions in hidden losses, quiet quitting accelerates these financial drains.
How to prevent quiet quitting in your organization?
Conduct regular check-ins and stay interviews
Don’t wait for exit interviews. Stay interviews — where you ask employees what keeps them engaged, what frustrates them and what would make their work better — uncover issues while there’s still time to act. Aim for open, honest conversations and listen.
Build a recognition-rich culture
Appreciation isn’t a once-a-year awards dinner. It’s daily, it’s sincere and it’s specific. When employees see their contributions acknowledged consistently, engagement increases. Appreciation should be embedded into performance conversations, peer recognition and leadership habits.
Invest in manager training and development
Managers are the frontline of engagement. Training them in communication, delegation, recognition and stress management equips them to catch early warning signs of disengagement and address them constructively.
Offer fair compensation and career pathways
Competitive pay and clear paths for growth let people see a future at your company. Transparent progression frameworks, upskilling opportunities and financial rewards aligned with performance affirm that the organization values contribution and career development.
Support work-life balance with concierge services
When employees have work and life balance support — like concierge services that handle errands, appointments and everyday chores — they bring more mental energy to their jobs. These services reduce the invisible stress load that often fuels quiet quitting, helping people feel supported and focused.
Create a workplace experience that employees value
A human centric workplace combines workplace amenities, community, flexibility and purpose. When employees feel that their workplace experience supports their life, they stay engaged and loyal. Workplace hospitality management and community engagement services turn offices from transactional spaces into places people want to be.
The role of workplace hospitality in reducing quiet quitting
How daily support services reduce employee stress
Quiet quitting often stems from cumulative daily stress. Guest services, personalized concierge support and programs that foster community — all hallmarks of workplace hospitality — help free employees’ time and mental energy. When people feel cared for, supported in both work and life, they’re more energized, more connected and more likely to go beyond the bare minimum.
From perks to operating model: a strategic shift
Workplace hospitality isn’t about flashy perks. It’s a strategic, operational shift toward seeing employee support as core to business success. Companies that embed wellness, community, employee loyalty benefits and support services into daily operations improve engagement dramatically and reduce quiet quitting rates.
Quiet quitting is a signal, not a sentence
Quiet quitting isn’t inevitable, it’s a sign that something in the workplace isn’t working. It could be burnout, lack of recognition, insufficient support or weak connection. Organizations that listen, respond and invest in people — not just processes — make work feel meaningful again.
Explore how thoughtful solutions that prioritize employee well-being and work-life support can help your organization build deeper engagement and sustainable performance.
Frequently asked questions about quiet quitting
What causes employees to quiet quit?
Quiet quitting arises from burnout, lack of recognition, poor management, limited career pathways, compensation frustration and stress from poor work-life balance.
What is quiet quitting in the workplace?
Quiet quitting is when employees stop going above and beyond and do only what their job requires, while mentally disengaging from their work.
How can managers prevent quiet quitting?
Managers prevent quiet quitting by having regular check-ins, fostering recognition, training for leadership skills, offering clear career pathways and supporting work-life balance.
How much does quiet quitting cost businesses?
The disengagement associated with quiet quitting can cost businesses trillions globally in lost productivity, and employers spend thousands per employee annually on burnout-related losses — underscoring the high cost of disengagement.
