What is quiet quitting, and how do you prevent it?

Quiet quitting is when someone decides to stick to the letter of their job description and nothing more. No staying late or taking on extra responsibilities, and often no enthusiasm. It’s doing the bare minimum to avoid getting fired.

But while it might not make much noise, the impact of quiet quitting can send shockwaves through your organisation.

How common is quiet quitting in the UK?

A study by McKinsey found that more than half of employees in large organisations were disengaged. That's not just a few people lagging behind the rest; it’s the majority of the workforce giving up.

While around 10% of workers were actively planning their exit, another 43% were dissatisfied and no longer committed to their roles. Of these, 32% were putting in just enough effort to stay under the radar, while 11% were “disruptors” who spread their discontent throughout the organisation.

Digging deeper, McKinsey found that the most dissatisfied employees were quiet quitters: people who had wanted to leave for at least three years but hadn’t. They were a whopping three times more likely to report being unhappy with their job than those who wanted to stay.

That's a worrying statistic for both employers and employees. While performance inevitably suffers when people drag themselves through each working day for years on end, it’s bound to take a serious toll on their mental wellbeing too.

Does quiet quitting differ between generations?

So, is quiet quitting a temporary glitch? The evidence suggests it’s becoming the default for a growing part of the workforce, with striking generational differences in attitudes to work.

Data from the London School of Economics shows that quiet quitting is especially pronounced among younger workers. Gen Zs (those born after 1996) showed the steepest decline in working hours, while Millennials (roughly those in their late 20s to early 40s) worked the fewest hours overall.

To put this into perspective, the UK is losing over 55 million discretionary working hours each year, with Millennials responsible for nearly half of these.

But this doesn’t come down to laziness. Younger employees aren’t simply slacking off; they’re setting boundaries and calling out for help in challenging times. Gen Z and Millennial workers have kicked off their careers against the backdrop of economic instability, job insecurity, and rising mental health struggles, not to mention a global pandemic. Many are now prioritising work-life balance and mental wellbeing over unpaid overtime and vague notions of career progression.

Meanwhile, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers are also putting in less discretionary effort, suggesting a deep-rooted problem that affects the entire workforce to some degree. However, the drop within these generations is more moderate, and Baby Boomers are slowly climbing back up to pre-pandemic levels of engagement.

What’s behind quiet quitting?

Why it happens

Quiet quitters aren’t just being difficult for the sake of it. Often, it’s the result of employees trying to protect themselves from a work environment that’s threatening their mental or even physical wellbeing.

Quiet quitting is usually a symptom of something much bigger; a disconnect between employee needs and organisational reality. While this can be down to all sorts of reasons, here are some of the most common ones.

Lack of recognition: When people give their best but rarely get a thank you (or when they see colleagues take all the credit), motivation plummets. Over time, they stop going the extra mile because it feels pointless.

Poor leadership: Micromanagement, unclear direction, and inconsistent feedback all chip away at trust and morale. Of course, effective leadership goes far beyond this, and managers need plenty of support and training to keep their teams engaged.

Limited progression: Most employees want to grow rather than stay within the confines of their current role. If there are few opportunities to develop skills, take on new challenges, or move up the ladder, work starts to feel like a treadmill rather than a path to something better.

Unmanageable workload: When teams are stretched thin and repeatedly pushed beyond their limits, burnout becomes inevitable. Eventually, people pull back not because they’re lazy, but because they’re exhausted.

Unhealthy culture: If your team dynamics are toxic, even your best employees will eventually check out. An unhealthy company culture can include everything from cliquey behaviour and blame games to poor communication from senior leaders.

Lack of autonomy: When every small decision has to go through three layers of approval, people stop trying to think for themselves. They’ll still do what’s asked, but no more than that. To give their best, people need to feel trusted and valued, and that their ideas will be listened to rather than overridden.

Loss of purpose: Most people want to feel like what they do each day matters, and when they don’t understand the purpose of their role, they can start to feel like a cog in a machine. To counteract this, employees need to see the impact they’re having, whether that’s boosting sales or helping customers. Clear reporting and feedback from leaders is essential here.

Quiet quitting is usually a last resort rather than an early sign of disengagement. While this might sound alarming, it also means there’s often time to step in and turn things around before it gets that far.

The impact on organisations

Quiet quitting doesn’t stay quiet for long, and one person’s disengagement can soon spread to others. It might be, in the case of “disruptors”, that they actively incite frustration in fellow team members. But it could just as well be that more dedicated colleagues start to feel resentful when they’re continually left to pick up the slack.

This has a clear knock-on effect on productivity. It might be subtle at first, but as discontent trickles throughout the organisation, a little less effort adds up to a colossal drop in performance.

At the same time, let’s not forget the cost to the individual. People don’t enjoy quiet quitting, and most would rather feel happy and energised at work. Disengagement not only leaves people less fulfilled, but it can fuel mental health issues and feelings of isolation too. It’s important to remember that quiet quitting is often a coping mechanism rather than a conscious choice.

With all of this in mind, quiet quitting may well be worse for your organisation than someone actually handing in their notice. When an employee leaves because they’re no longer committed to their job, you can quickly find a better match for the role; someone who’s more likely to exceed expectations. You might even be able to rectify the situation and re-engage the employee.

But with quiet quitting, you may not realise what’s happening until it’s too late, when performance is tanking, team morale is low, and it’s had a very real impact on the business.

As a business leader or HR professional, it’s your job to notice the warning signs and take action before things get unmanageable.

What does quiet quitting actually look like?

Signs to look out for

As its name suggests, quiet quitting isn’t always easy to spot. It’s not like someone comes to work wearing a t-shirt that says “I’ve emotionally checked out.” But if you’re paying attention, the signs are there, and they’re usually more about what’s not happening than what is.

Less enthusiasm: Quiet quitters tend to stick to the tasks they absolutely have to do. They no longer volunteer for projects. They only reply to emails that warrant an answer. And they’ll probably ignore a request if they think it’ll go unnoticed. They may even be arriving exactly on time and leaving on the dot, unwilling to spend a minute of unpaid time in the workplace.

Less communication: Perhaps someone who used to be full of ideas in meetings is now silent. They give short, surface-level answers when you ask how they’re doing. They’re no longer the life and soul of the party during social events, and they could even be distancing themselves from colleagues because they don’t feel part of the team anymore.

Lower performance: These behaviours almost always lead to a drop in performance. Even when someone is ticking off their to-do list and meeting their objectives, you’ll lose out on the extra value that comes with curiosity and initiative. When an employee is excited about their role, they’re more likely to come up with great ideas and go out of their way to see them through. In short, a quiet quitter is often the opposite of a high performer.

Individually, these behaviours can be easy to explain away. But when you spot a pattern, and especially when you see these signs in multiple team members, it’s time to dig a little deeper.

Measuring engagement

Gut feel is useful. But backing it up with data gives you a clearer picture. Here are a couple of ways to expose quiet quitting so you can stop it in its tracks.

Employee engagement surveys: These can help surface wider patterns of disengagement. If you’re using HR software like People First, you’ll be able to automate regular pulse surveys that highlight immediate changes while showing how employee sentiment evolves over time. Just keep in mind that the least engaged staff may also be the least likely to fill in a survey. While this can skew your results, low response rates can also be a helpful indicator in themselves.

Tracking productivity: If you already measure individual or team productivity, a dip in output without a clear reason can suggest quiet quitting is creeping in.

One-to-one check-ins: Scheduled catch-ups are a chance to hear directly from each employee and sense when something isn’t right. If you know your team members well, you’ll be able to notice changes in attitude or energy levels and ask the right questions early on. Try to be perceptive and read between the lines so that you can spot subtle signs of disengagement before they turn into cries for help.

How can you prevent quiet quitting?

As any good leader knows, you can’t force team members to go above and beyond; they have to really want to. The best employees are the ones who love their jobs and see a future with their organisation, and this means creating an environment where people feel valued and supported.

Build a culture worth engaging with

Start by asking yourself: would you want to work for your company?

That’s not a glib question. A strong culture isn’t offering beanbags and birthday cupcakes. It’s making people feel like they belong. Do they have some autonomy? Can they speak up without fear? And are they thanked for good work? Or do they hold things back and wait to be told what to do?

If your culture isn’t there yet, start with your leaders. Encourage them to check in regularly with team members, listen carefully to the challenges they face, and then take action. In some cases, there are wider issues managers can’t solve alone, and this might warrant an entire culture change.

Give people something to aim for

Quiet quitting thrives in the dark. If people can’t see where they’re going, there’s no reason for them to keep pushing forward.

Be clear with employees on opportunities for progression and development, and show people how their work fits into strategic objectives. At the same time, pair long-term goals with immediate priorities so team members always know their next step.

Just as importantly, don’t expect your people to know intuitively when they’re doing a good job. Tell them! Even if you can’t offer a flashy reward, providing genuine, consistent recognition of a job well done goes a long way.

Your HR platform can help here too. For example, our software lets employees recognise each other’s efforts and develop their skills to support progression.

Make wellbeing more than a buzzword

According to futurist Tom Cheesewright, “If workplaces want to avoid generating a burned-out, disengaged and unwell workforce, wellbeing must be a strategic priority – not just an add-on.”

If your idea of wellbeing is yoga sessions and mindfulness apps, think again. The average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime, making it a major contributor to overall wellbeing. Decompressing at the end of a busy day isn’t enough, and work itself must be a positive experience.

Flexibility is vital here; can employees balance their work and home life in a reasonable way? This could mean remote or hybrid options, flexible hours, or even compressed weeks. While you don’t need to say yes to every request, recognise that most people will be more committed to an organisation that cares about their personal circumstances. They’re also more likely to do their best work when they have a say over where, when and how they do it.

While most of us think of wellbeing as a mental or physical concept, financial wellbeing is crucial as well. Money worries can take a huge toll on employees and may distract from day-to-day responsibilities. Our payroll platform gives your people real-time information about their pay and benefits for better planning and peace of mind.

Quiet quitting can have a deafening impact on your organisation. But the good news is you can easily prevent it by creating the kind of workplace that inspires high performance. If you're interested in learning more, sign up for our latest webinar which focuses on 'Why should companies invest in happiness at work, and how can it be done?'.