Quiet Quitting: The Workplace Trend That Has Everyone Talking
Theres a new term dominating workplace conversations, and depending on who you ask, its either a healthy rejection of exploitative work culture or a lazy cop-out from professional responsibility. “Quiet quitting” refers to doing exactly what your job requires – no more, no less – and refusing to go “above and beyond” without additional compensation.
The concept went viral on TikTok but quickly spread to mainstream media and corporate boardrooms. Gallup found that quiet quitters make up at least half the U.S. workforce when defined as employees who are not engaged but doing the minimum required. That statistic alone should tell you this isnt just a TikTok trend – its a massive shift in how workers relate to their jobs.
The debate over quiet quitting reveals deep divisions in how we think about work. On one side, you have people pointing out that “going above and beyond” often just means doing unpaid labor. If you want more than the job description, pay more than the job offers. On the other side, you have managers and executives worried about productivity, team dynamics, and what happens when nobody wants to put in extra effort.
Harvard Business Review explored the nuances of quiet quitting and whether its really a new phenomenon or just a new name for worker disengagement thats existed forever. The analysis suggests that while the behavior isnt new, the open discussion and even celebration of it represents something genuinely different.
What I think gets lost in the debate is context. If youre at a company that exploits workers, refuses to promote, and demands constant “hustle” without reward, then setting boundaries is healthy and rational. If youre in a role with genuine advancement opportunities and youre phoning it in, youre probably hurting yourself more than anyone. The path to career advancement looks different in different contexts.
Maybe the real lesson is that “going above and beyond” should be a choice, not an expectation. And if companies want workers who give extra, they need to give extra in return. The social contract around work has shifted. Companies that refuse to acknowledge that are going to keep losing their best people – quietly or otherwise.
