A Reddit user has shared about the “silent resignation” that nobody notices. It is when a great employee stops going the extra mile. They still perform, join meetings and meet targets, but that fire is gone.
“They still deliver, still smile in meetings, but the spark’s gone. No more bold ideas. No more challenging bad processes. Just the safe, bare minimum version of them,” the user wrote.
“It usually happens after too many ignored ideas, decisions made without them or endless urgent work that kills anything meaningful. Once they hit that point, it’s rare to get them back,” the user added.
Many social media users shared similar experiences.
“I am exiting the same situation and when I got my new job offer, even though it wasn’t a huge change in pay it felt like I had won the lottery just to get out of a job where I wasn’t valued and was actively being lied to,” wrote one Reddit user.
“This is me too. Employers promised massive raise two years ago. I ask about it every week. “Oh we have a lot of work there. It’s coming”. Never came,” wrote another user.
Another wrote, “I do it because I am tired of being the perfect employee – reliable and reasonably competent – and having tons of work being passed on to me because my colleague is useless and no one will tell her off.”
“The same boat. No longer a great company, and I’m tired of doing the work of 2 people and getting told ‘you barely meet expectations’. So no more working more than 40 hours a week,” came from another.
“I believe most people are quiet quitting. With all that’s going on with hiring, the need for increased income and companies showing their true colours, and managers micromanaging, I’m not shocked,” posted another.
Quiet quitting
The trending term for such employee behaviour is “quiet quitting”. In 2022, during the post-pandemic era, the term went viral on TikTok.
The most affected section is the younger employees. According to a 2023 Gallup article, poor management is likely the primary reason behind it.
Gallup reported a sharp drop in engagement among remote Gen Z and younger millennials under 35. Before the pandemic, many felt cared for and supported by managers, with good chances to grow.
These benefits have faded. From 2019 to 2022, engagement fell by four points while active disengagement rose by six. Fully remote and hybrid staff saw a nine-point drop in feeling supported.