Quiet quitting refers to when employees disengage from their work and discontinue their discretionary efforts without openly expressing their intentions to leave the organisation.

This phenomenon can be challenging for employers to detect and address, as employees are physically at work but may not be fully engaged or committed to their work.

In this article, we will explore the concept of quiet quitting and provide strategies for employers to effectively manage this challenge in the workplace.

Understanding the signs of quiet quitting

Quiet quitting can manifest in various ways, and it’s essential for employers to be able to recognise the signs.

Koala global director of people and culture, Netta Efron, explains that quiet quitting is a term used to describe an employee that has become disengaged from their work. In the process of keeping a pulse check on employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS) within an organisation, individuals are classified as promoters, passive or detractors. An employee who is quietly quitting is likely to be categorised as a detractor when looking at employee engagement.

“While it’s been a popular term in social media in recent months, the behaviour itself isn’t new. In my opinion, this is a great example of how social media is amplifying behaviours or feelings which have always been around,” she said.

Employees who are quietly quitting may exhibit a decline in productivity. They may not be putting the same effort or enthusiasm into their work as before, resulting in missed deadlines, incomplete tasks, or subpar performance. In a nutshell, they essentially check out mentally, while still physically showing up to work.

Employees who are disengaging may withdraw from team discussions, avoid volunteering for tasks or projects, and generally demonstrate a lack of interest in participating in workplace activities.

“Employees that are quietly quitting may appear as if they have withdrawn from actively participating in meetings or providing input, even though they may have previously been known for being quite vocal and expressing their opinions openly,” Netta says.

“It can be a star performer delivering minimum output, while you know they can do more. Maybe it’s someone who isn’t socialising anymore with their colleagues and isolating themselves.

“Quiet quitting shouldn’t be confused with setting healthy boundaries and prioritising work/life blend, or potentially an employee experiencing burnout or personal issues – and they can look quite similar. Any one of those behaviours can be a sign your employee may need help, so it’s important to look at the ‘flags’ with the right context and how long they have been displaying these behaviours – think about timing as well.”

Normally, quiet quitting is a sign your employee is no longer engaged with your brand, their role or overall purpose, according to Ms Efron. It can be a reaction to things like being passed over for promotion, feeling like they aren’t valued or not receiving enough recognition.

“At Koala, we have aligned our recognition strategy to values in action. This is based on peer-to-peer recognition and it has been wildly successful. An initiative that creates all the warm fuzzies (as we like to call it) by making sure our team feels valued while also constantly linking the work that they do to the mission, vision and values  –  keeping purpose front of mind.”

“It could also be a sign they are ‘over’ their role – not feeling challenged enough (their learning curve has flattened). They may not have enough clarity to know how they can be successful in their role, or be overwhelmed,” she said.

“It can also be a conflict between their personal goals and the demand from work, or simply not aligning with business objectives or behaviours.”

Managing quiet quitting challenges

Managing quiet quitting can be complex, as employers must proactively identify and address the signs before they escalate into a more severe issue.

Ms Efron said the best way to prevent quiet quitting starts at the talent acquisition stage – recruitment. This includes identifying individuals who show a connection to your business purpose, brand, and value/mission. Being transparent during the hiring process about what the role is, expectations, pace etc., will preempt some of the factors behind quiet quitting.

“Next is the relationship between an employee and their manager,” Ms Efron explained.

“Having a strong bond with your manager and being able to have honest and transparent conversations will mean the manager will know to identify reasons behind potential disengagement, and how to prevent them – setting clear expectations, growing the employee (so they are challenged but not overwhelmed) and reinforce the value an employee brings to the business.”

Quiet quitting can also be short-lived – it could also be a defence mechanism against burnout or something a well-timed holiday can fix.

It is really important to understand what the triggers are for quiet quitting so that the core reasons can be addressed, such as treating the root cause rather than the symptoms, according to Ms Efron.

“In an organisation that fosters psychological safety and transparent communication, you should be able to address this directly with your employee. As a manager, show curiosity to understand what has changed for your employees and what they are feeling. Often, this isn’t a ‘micro’ reaction – but could be impacted by macro factors,” she said.

“The most important thing is not to assume – have positive intent. No one wakes up in the morning and goes to work intending to do a bad job. You never know what is happening in your employee’s life and what could be impacting them. After all, we are just humans!”

For employers wanting to lessen the impact on other workers, Ms Efron said the faster you can re-engage that employee, the less impact on the rest of the team.

However, one-on-one conversations with the employee’s direct reports or close team members are very important, which can create pathways for them to see other perspectives and reinforce their value in the business – in particular, addressing decreased productivity from a disengaged employee, which could impact the rest of their team.

“Underperformance should be addressed in the business, and it will give everyone else the confidence that everyone is pulling their weight,” she said,

“When an employee feels valued and challenged in the business and their role, it will be a lot easier for them to disregard those who are expressing their frustrations. There is a fine line between a disengaged employee and a toxic employee.”