Quiet Quitting: How the Impact Leads to Opportunity

Written By: Lauren Pflug: Senior Content Strategist, Blueprint Evolution

In our post-pandemic world, there’s a movement that has been spreading across the workforce as employees recognize their reality in the corporate world. It’s no surprise that the economy is struggling– our middle class is shrinking, 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck (Lending Club), and billionaires are now a third richer than they were pre-pandemic (Marketplace).
The state of our economy mixed with the high rate at which we consume and share information has left people with a nasty taste in their mouths. Workers have been simmering in the feeling of being undervalued cogs in the machine, and they’re no longer sitting idly by. This collective experience has led us to what is called “quiet quitting”. Simply put, quiet quitting is the act of putting in the minimum amount of effort possible at work. It is the conscious decision to stop giving more of yourself when you’ve witnessed no benefit in doing so.

I’m going to go ahead and stop you before your mind even has the chance to wander into the ‘lazy generation’ territory. Quiet quitting has absolutely nothing to do with people being lazy; quite the opposite actually. Rather, the humans that make up our workforce are seeing that their strong work ethic and even workaholism are yielding zero benefits for them. Seeing little to no payoff, the employees that have spent years and even decades running themselves into the ground and going above and beyond for their employers, are asking themselves “why?” and “for what?” They are seeing their worth and no longer wish to give it away without proper compensation.

As someone who likes to keep a pulse on internet culture, as I research quiet quitting, my mind continually replays a specific video I came across in 2022. Kris Barsanti, a TikTok user by the name of @krisdrinkslemonade, posted a clip to TikTok in February of 2022 of his annual review with his boss. While this video is just under a minute, it really encapsulates the movement that is quiet quitting. The video opens with his boss speaking about a “difference in his performance” from 2021 versus 2020. The boss states that Kris was the top rated employee of 2020, but since then he seems less present and less focused. She asks Kris what has changed, and Kris’s response is truly a slam dunk. He replies:

“2020 was the second year in a row that I didn’t get a raise even though I was the top employee. And when I asked why I couldn’t get a raise, you said it was because my pay was a ‘fair market value’ for my position. When I asked where my pay falls on the pay grade scale, you said it was below the median, so below the average of what I could make in my position. So, at that point I decided I’m going to become a fair market value employee and put in a below average amount of effort because that’s what I feel like you pay me to do. You’ve created an environment where there’s no incentive for me to work hard. So I don’t.”

@krisdrinkslemonade
I have 9 weeks left at this job so 🤷‍♂️ #work #office #honestreview #annualreview #truth #payme #worklife #boss #layoff #underpaid #hopeidontgetfired #reenactment
♬ original sound – KrisDrinksLemonade

Quiet quitting is summed up right there. Employees have recognized that there is no difference between the reward for average/below average effort and superior effort. If there is no incentive for the latter, what is the purpose? Well, unless you’re in the midst of your most passionate life’s work, there is no purpose.

As employers, it is crucial to understand why this movement is happening and how it can be prevented.

At a time where we are inundated with continual horrifying news cycles amidst an economical collapse, tokens of appreciation in the form of pizza parties and casual Fridays aren’t really cutting it. They’re quite laughable to be honest.

(I promise you jokes are being made)
Employees are fed up and exhausted. Quiet quitting has become the answer for so many because they are past the point of begging for recognition for their hard work. One thing about a global pandemic is, it’s going to offer people a major perspective shift causing them to question the direction of their lives and their passions. Unfortunately, with our current economic climate, there are very few of us granted the luxury of being able to just pursue our passion and get by financially. So many of us are forced to take any job and extra jobs to make ends meet.

There is power in purpose, and for a lot of employees, their work has lost purpose in this post-pandemic era (Forbes). With existential dread running rapidly, people are choosing to do what they want to do.

With this in mind, it is still possible for people to feel fulfilled working jobs that they aren’t necessarily passionate about. If an employee feels and knows they’re valued and gets properly compensated and appreciated for their hard work, they’re likely to feel quite fulfilled, and not have the urge to reel in the amount of effort being put forth.

From an employer’s standpoint, we recognize that the labor market is an obstacle right now. So much so, that hiring quiet quitters may look most promising to you from a business perspective. That being said, the reasoning behind the quiet quitting movement is undoubtedly affecting the state of the labor market.

People do not want to work for someone that doesn’t value them. Employers must step back and evaluate what type of environment they are fostering. This is not an isolated issue, it is occurring across the board. So much so, that Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace report shows that we’re moving past quiet quitting: 18% of global employees are actively disengaging; a movement that is now being coined “loud quitting”. Gallup defines this as employees that have been burned so badly by their jobs that they are taking actions to “directly harm the organization”.

I’m unsure how long CEOs thought they could continue bankrolling off the backs of their laborers while ignoring that these laborers are indeed human beings. And while this major disconnect between employer and employee is not going to magically resolve overnight… I can promise you these disgruntled employees will not go out without a bang. “At some point along the way, trust between employee and employer was severely broken, or the employee has been woefully mismatched to a role, causing constant crises.” (State of the Global Workplace 2023, Gallup)

This report is filled with stats proving that we are seeing quite the upheaval in the workforce. As Bob Dylan once said, “times they are a changin’” and if organizations don’t follow suit, they are in for a rude awakening. Gallup reports a whopping 59% of global employees that are participating in quiet quitting and only 23% of global employees report to be engaged at work. Additionally, quiet quitters are costing the global economy $8 trillion which accounts for 9% of the global GDP.
The numbers backing this issue might seem intimidating, but simultaneously, this a huge opportunity for leaders and employers to influence some serious economic growth. If disengaged employees are resulting in noticeable losses, think of the possibilities that will emerge if employees are not only engaged, but thriving at work. All of this boils down to one word: value. Employees that feel supported, valued, and cared for are far more likely to be engaged in their work, and for lack of better phrasing, actually give a damn about the work they’re doing.

Gallup states that a company’s quiet quitters actually present employers with a massive opportunity for organizational growth and productivity gains.

At Blueprint, we couldn’t agree more.

These employees haven’t quit yet, which means they are just waiting for their leaders to inspire and support them. Furthermore, the 2023 report states that 85% of these quiet quitters attributed their pullbacks to workplace culture, pay/benefits, and work-life balance. Fostering a workplace culture that encourages employees to stay is not just beneficial to said employees. We are seeing real numbers proving how valued employees are a direct pipeline to better business overall. People want the chance to shine; to be able to be themselves at work and be valued for what they bring to the table. Cultivating an environment where diverse character is nurtured and encouraged is immensely valuable for both the human and business aspects.
Improving workplace culture and fostering organizational growth is a win-win solution. Your employees have already been here, they’re just waiting for you to get on board. Most humans are more than willing to do their best work for someone they respect. If you are an employer seeing signs of quiet or loud quitting, trust and believe that these are risks that should not be ignored. None of this is a result of lazy generations, it is a result of humans knowing there is a better way and challenging their leaders to step up to the plate… or get left in the dust.