What quiet quitting is and how HR can counter it

Executive overview

Employees who feel disconnected but can't afford to leave do the bare minimum — this is quiet quitting. Burnout, pandemic-era workload increases without extra pay, and poor engagement drove the trend. Low engagement directly cuts productivity and profit.

Fix it by addressing root causes: communication, leadership, and visible career growth.

Origins and drivers

• Coined by recruiter Brian Creeley; signals employee disconnection, not resignation
• Pre-pandemic burnout rates were already rising, per the American Psychological Association
• Pandemic workloads increased without extra compensation, accelerating disengagement
• 47 million workers left voluntarily in 2021 (Bureau of Labor Statistics — the Great Resignation)

Business impact

• Quiet quitting curbs organisational productivity and growth without triggering visible turnover
• Companies with 70%+ employee engagement see measurable gains in growth and profit (Gallup 2022)
• Non-farm worker productivity dropped 2.5% in Q2 2022 — steepest annual fall since 1948

What HR can do

• Address root causes directly: communication, leadership quality, and career growth paths
• Build transparency and trust to strengthen culture and improve retention
• Keep messaging clear and consistent across all teams
• Employees who feel undervalued are more likely to drift into quiet quitting
• Use upskilling, gamification, and apprenticeship programmes to re-engage
• Offer clear growth plans with set expectations to motivate self-driven effort