What is quiet quitting?

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have likely heard of quiet quitting. Instagram, YouTube, and especially TikTok are filled with videos of people sharing their stories of quietly stepping back from their jobs, offering advice, or analyzing one of the latest workplace trends. Even if you think this whole business trend is exaggerated, the numbers do not lie.

Such TikTok videos are viewed millions, if not billions, of times, suggesting that not only has upper management changed, but so has the way employees approach their positions and daily tasks, as well as how they handle expectations.

Judging by Millennials and especially Generation Z, the days of "work hard, play harder" are long gone. Nowadays, it is all about doing exactly what is in the contract. No more and no less. We will now help you better understand this topic by asking: What is quiet quitting?

What is quiet quitting?

‍Quiet quitting does not mean leaving the building unnoticed or signing resignation papers without letting anyone know. On the contrary, quiet quitting is about keeping a job but only meeting the minimum requirements, without trying to get ahead, and without spending more time, effort, or knowledge than absolutely necessary.

By doing only the bare minimum, the employee completes their assigned work, but without going the extra mile expected by many employers.

Quiet employees do not complain too much, nor do they perform poorly. They have managed to find a balance between getting the work done and avoiding extra tasks. Many believe this is a relatively new way of working, but if we dig deeper, we will find that it is not Gen Z or even Gen X that is to blame.

Quiet quitting is simply a label society has attached to a phenomenon that has existed in offices for centuries. Herman Melville mentioned it as early as 1853 in his short story "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street", which is about an employee who constantly replies with "I would prefer not to."

Signs of quiet quitting

It is time to take a look at behaviors that indicate someone is quiet quitting:

• They do not seek promotions, but are satisfied with the status quo.
  
• Avoiding opportunities like longer working hours and additional work.
  
• Not contributing unless expressly asked to do so.
  
• Work is done from 9 to 5, and emails, calls, or messages are ignored during free time.
  
• Sticking only to tasks that fall under their job description.
  
• Avoiding work events if they take place outside of business hours.
  
• Maximizing available vacation and sick days.

Why do people quiet quit?

According to Gallup, about 50% of the American workforce is quiet quitting. The company's report "State of the Global Workplace 2023" states that 72% of all European employees are already doing the minimum. Here are some other interesting figures:

• The Romanians are the busiest bees in Europe and show the highest engagement.
  
• With 16% of engaged employees, the Germans share 22nd and 23rd place with Croatia.
  
• Swiss employees consider themselves even less engaged, landing in 31st place on the list.
  
• In Austria, only 11% of employees are willing to engage.
  

Interestingly, employees say they know exactly why they are quiet quitting. None of them do it for no reason. Data analysis shows that 41% of them would stop if the work culture and appreciation for their commitment were different. 28% would not leave if they received a raise or other perks, while 16% would appreciate it if the company showed more interest in their personal well-being and acted accordingly.

But what are the causes of quiet quitting?

• 40% of participants state that they chose to quiet quit to reduce daily stress.
  
• 29% of employees do it for a better work-life balance.
  
• 28% do it because they lack recognition.
  
• 22% are simply unhappy with their workplace.
  
• 21% of the workforce quiet quits because they do not receive a sufficient salary.

Wie kann man Quiet Quitting verhindern?

Solange die Unternehmensleitung den Trend erkennt, kann sie viel tun, um den Arbeitsplatz motivierender zu gestalten:

1. Umstellung auf das hybride Arbeitsmodell für MitarbeiterInnen, die eine andere Work-Life-Balance benötigen.

2. Nutzen Sie Desk Sharing-Apps wie Flexopus, um den Organisationsprozess zu vereinfachen.

3. Erkennen Sie Leistungen und zusätzliche Arbeit an und belohnen Sie sie, bevor der Mitarbeitende nach Anerkennung sucht.

4. Bieten Sie ArbeitnehmerInnen, die Interesse an einer persönlichen Weiterentwicklung zeigen, Lernmöglichkeiten und Seminare an.

5. Sorgen Sie für eine klare Kommunikation über Erwartungen, Ziele und Verantwortlichkeiten.

6. Erlauben Sie den MitarbeiterInnen, autonom zu arbeiten und ihre Kreativität zu entfalten.

7. Vermeiden Sie Mikromanagement.

Stille Kündigung ist nichts Neues, aber jetzt, da sie anerkannt ist, haben ArbeitgeberInnen keine Ausrede mehr, um sie nicht zu verhindern.