Quiet quitting is a phrase that spread on social media in 2022 for employees who stop going beyond their job description. They work their contracted hours, do what is asked and stop there: no late-night emails, no volunteering for extra projects, less emotional investment. Nobody actually quits.
Gallup described it at the time as the idea that people are "just meeting their job description", and said many quiet quitters fit its category of "not engaged": people who do the minimum required and are psychologically detached from their job. In 2022 Gallup said that group made up half of the US workforce.
For HR and managers, the useful question is what it is telling you.
Is quiet quitting a problem?
It depends on what "extra" means in your organisation.
- If the job is being done to the agreed standard, quiet quitting is not a performance issue. Employees are entitled to do the job they were hired for within their working hours. Many countries limit working time: in the UK, for example, workers cannot work more than 48 hours a week on average unless they opt out.
- If the role quietly depends on unpaid extra effort, quiet quitting exposes a job design or resourcing problem. The fix is to redesign the role or resource it properly.
- If standards are slipping, it is a performance issue and should be managed as one, fairly and with evidence.
The CIPD calls voluntary activity outside the core role "contextual performance" or organisational citizenship behaviour: helping other teams, contributing to ad hoc projects. It is valuable, which is exactly why it disappears first when people feel taken for granted.
How do you tell quiet quitting apart from burnout or poor performance?
| Signal | Quiet quitting | Burnout | Underperformance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core work delivered to standard | Yes | Often slipping | No |
| Discretionary effort | Withdrawn | Usually withdrawn | Varies |
| Energy and mood | Neutral, detached | Exhausted, cynical | Varies |
| Typical cause | Unmet expectations, low recognition, little growth | Sustained overload, lack of control | Skills, clarity, motivation, personal issues |
| Right response | Conversation about role, growth and recognition | Reduce load; health support | Clear standard, support plan, then formal process if needed |
Treat these as starting points for a conversation, not diagnoses. If you suspect a health issue, follow your wellbeing and absence policies and consider adjustments.
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Why does quiet quitting happen?
Gallup linked the 2022 drop in engagement to four areas: clarity of expectations, opportunities to learn and grow, feeling cared about, and connection to the organisation's mission or purpose. The CIPD's research finds that the quality of relationships and managerial support is consistently related to engagement and to intention to quit, and that job design, including workload, is a key driver.
Common triggers in practice:
- workload that grew without recognition or reward
- promotion or pay decisions that felt unfair
- a change of manager or a manager who never holds one-to-ones
- unclear priorities that change weekly
- no visible route to develop
- an "always on" culture of messages outside working hours
How should managers respond to quiet quitting?
- Don't treat it as misconduct. If the work is done to standard, there is nothing to discipline.
- Have a genuine one-to-one. Ask about workload, what they enjoy and what has changed. Listen more than you talk.
- Clarify expectations. Write down what the role actually requires, and separate it from nice-to-haves.
- Look at workload honestly. If the job needs more than the hours allow, change the job, add resource or drop work.
- Talk about growth. What would they like to learn or do next? Is there a realistic path?
- Recognise good work specifically, including the core work that is easy to take for granted.
- Follow through on what you agree, and check in regularly. Gallup recommended that managers hold one meaningful conversation a week with each team member, of around 15 to 30 minutes.
What can HR do across the organisation?
- Train managers in one-to-ones, feedback and workload conversations. Gallup's 2022 analysis pointed to manager engagement as the first thing to address.
- Audit job design in teams with high overtime or high regretted turnover.
- Check fairness in pay, promotion and allocation of interesting work.
- Set norms for out-of-hours contact so availability isn't the hidden measure of commitment.
- Use engagement survey data to find teams where expectations, growth or care are scoring low.
- Listen to leavers. Use exit interviews to see whether the same reasons come up.
What should you avoid?
- Monitoring as a response. Tracking keystrokes or online status tends to confirm the feeling of not being trusted.
- Blaming a generation. The causes Gallup and the CIPD identify are about management and job design.
- Calling it "quiet quitting" to the employee. It frames a reasonable boundary as disloyalty.
- Launching perks instead of fixing the work. Events don't solve unmanageable workloads or unclear priorities.
When does it become a performance issue?
If core work falls below the agreed standard, manage it as underperformance: give specific examples, agree the standard and a plan with support, and review progress. Move to a formal process only if informal steps don't work, and follow your written procedure. Rules differ by country; in the UK, for example, a formal disciplinary procedure should include a hearing where the employee can respond and a chance to appeal. See our guide to how to measure job performance for setting clear standards.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Can hiring reduce quiet quitting?
Partly. People who join with an accurate picture of the job, its workload and its growth prospects are less likely to feel the gap later. A realistic job preview and an honest description of hours in the advert help, as does a strong onboarding checklist that sets expectations in the first weeks.
FAQs
Is quiet quitting new?
The phrase became popular in 2022, but the behaviour it describes, withdrawing discretionary effort while doing the core job, is familiar from long-standing research on engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour.
What is "loud quitting"?
Gallup used "loud quitters" for actively disengaged employees: people whose workplace needs are mostly unmet and who spread their dissatisfaction.
Can you dismiss someone for quiet quitting?
Not for doing their job to the required standard. If their performance falls below the standard, that is a separate issue to handle through a fair performance process under local law.
How do you prevent quiet quitting?
Clear expectations, manageable workloads, regular conversations with a supportive manager, fair recognition and visible routes to grow. These are the same things that drive engagement generally.
Sources
Checked 30 October 2026.