8 examples of quiet quitting in the UK and how to avoid it

Quiet quitting is when an employee becomes increasingly disengaged with their work, and appears to be “checking out”.  

This happens for a variety of reasons and often manifests itself as a lack of engagement and enthusiasm. 

It is important to spot the signs of quiet quitting in the workplace so the right support can be put in place, helping employees feel more connected to their work and the organisation. Managers are in the best position to see it as they know their teams best, but HR departments should also be prepared to provide training, information and strategies to help identify and deal with disengagement – and to prevent it in the first place. 

How does quiet quitting manifest itself in the workplace?  

1. Less participation in meetings, particularly non-mandatory ones 
   
   
2. Greater absenteeism, which can often be linked to low motivation levels 
   
   
3. Unwillingness to take on additional tasks 
   
   
4. A lack of development or ambition to gain promotions
   
   
5. Withdrawal from social team activities 
   
   
6. Turning down “stretch” projects outside of a job description 
   
   
7. A noticeable lack of engagement with work and the organisation 
   
   
8. Increasing occurrences of burnout or stress-related absence 

Some employees may see these behaviours as a way of creating boundaries between their work and personal lives. However, these signs should always be taken seriously by employers as they can be indicative of poor mental health, wellbeing issues or wider problems with company culture. Every organisation is responsible for motivating and supporting their employees, which helps to build trust and engagement over time. With the right support structures, strategies, training and culture, quiet quitting is far less likely to become an issue.

Quiet quitting will look different depending on the employee, their attitude towards their work, their motivations and their ambitions. This can make it a difficult phenomenon to identify, which is why having the right tools, systems and training programmes in place will help. 

These are some key ways to identify quiet quitting: 

Good manager-employee relationships

Managers should have regular contact with their employees and should be trained to spot dips in engagement. Signs may be subtle, so building a good relationship and providing a platform to talk openly is very important. A disengaged employee may begin to withdraw from relationships they have built with both managers and other team members

Employee feedback and surveys

These can be used to capture employees’ honest feedback, anonymously if you prefer. They may not be suitable to identify individual issues, but they can flag problems with engagement at an organisational level. Giving employees a voice to raise their concerns is extremely valuable. Surveys can be made up of multiple-choice questions, as well as open-ended questions that allow employees to document their opinions freely.  

Measurement of productivity and absence metrics

Employees who are psychologically disconnected from their jobs may be less productive when at work and could have higher absence rates. Monitoring these metrics continuously can help to reveal patterns, though bear in mind that there can be many other causes.  

Profitability

When productivity decreases, reduced profitability can be a knock-on effect. Again though, remember that there can be many causes, so good analytics and HR input will be essential.  

Performance management and appraisals

Beyond a strong employee-manager relationship, performance management should be formalised so that goals, achievements and overall contributions can be monitored over time. A strategic, proactive approach is important to spot dwindling engagement as early as possible.  

Employee retention

While quiet quitting doesn’t necessarily mean that employees will leave the workforce, retention difficulties can be indicative of low engagement and weak company culture, so the two go hand in hand.  

External reputation

With disengagement and retention difficulties often comes a knock to employer brand, making it harder to attract new talent in the first place.   

HR software has a major part to play in helping to monitor the above metrics and identify levels of engagement and productivity. However, data will also need to be processed, interpreted and acted on. This can help to carve out an effective approach to strategic HR management, providing direction for future people strategies.  

Some employers believe that quiet quitting can be indicative of a poor work ethic or even laziness. Many have reacted negatively to the trend, arguing that an unwillingness to go the extra mile means putting the burden on others. 

As with any over-simplified viewpoint, this interpretation should be treated with caution. When a phenomenon gets widespread attention and resonates with so many people, it’s important to consider why. What is it about the modern workplace that is driving these behaviours? 

Workplace culture is incredibly important – 86% of job seekers avoid companies with a bad reputation and 88% say a healthy culture is essential for success. A toxic culture considerably narrows down the talent pool and makes recruitment harder, yet much of it stems directly from employer attitudes and expectations. Unrealistic expectations create a ripple effect through the entire workforce, frustrating and disengaging the exact people they are meant to motivate.  

These are some of the key ways to overcome and prevent quiet quitting: 

Engage managers

According to Gallup, only one in three managers are engaged at work, so solving engagement within management and senior leadership should be a priority. Only then can a positive company culture be developed, filtering down to all employees. 

Act on employee opinion

According to studies, 74% of employees are more effective at their jobs when they feel heard.  

Provide training

Even the most natural managers need training so they can support growth while preventing burnout.

Set goals

Employees need a sense of purpose and fulfilment at work. Setting goals, both short term and long term, will support this and managers should be equipped to help their teams set achievable goals.

Ensure wellbeing support is available

Creating a people-focused culture where employees are properly supported is both the right thing to do, and an essential facet of a high-performing workforce. 

Build a positive culture

Combat quiet quitting by creating a company culture that promotes engagement, support and wellbeing. This might include (but is certainly not limited to) offering flexibility, giving the option of hybrid work with more autonomy over schedules, providing training and finding out what employees really want and need from their work.  

When developing strategies to build company culture, HR departments and management should be clear on their expectations of employees. A workplace that expects teams to go above and beyond, work long hours without additional compensation and give everything to their jobs without setting boundaries is much more likely to have issues with burnout and disengagement. Creating a culture of compassion and understanding where employees are supported and can raise concerns leads to better performance, a greater sense of belonging and improved engagement. 

Quiet quitting is new terminology for a well-known problem that has become even more prominent as employee values have shifted. Employers can turn it around or prevent it from happening by creating the right culture, but this doesn’t happen overnight. Tools and software should be fully utilised to track employee engagement over time and flag potential problems early. The right HR software can take care of everything from onboarding, to learning, to performance management, employee benefits and reward and recognition tools, all while providing comprehensive analytics. By continuously monitoring performance and engagement as well as putting steps in place to improve it, employers can achieve a competitive advantage.