Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Apr 30, 2025

The growing trend of 'quiet quitting' - and whether you should worry about being 'quiet fired'

The growing trend of 'quiet quitting' - and whether you should worry about being 'quiet fired'

Quiet quitting has become a big buzzword, so much so that it was named one of Collins Dictionary's words of the year (beaten by permacrisis). But is it actually a particularly new concept? And how does it compare to quiet firing?
The clock strikes 4pm. You've been working for seven hours. Time appears to have stopped - and when it comes to passing the time, that project you could make a head-start on sounds like the least appealing thing in the world.

You've been to all your meetings, replied to all your emails, and have surely earned the right to do the absolute bare minimum - or perhaps even less - until it's time to log off.

After all, that promotion you wanted went elsewhere. Your wages are stagnant. You think your employer seems indifferent about you, perhaps it's time to be indifferent about the job.

If this sounds like you, you may be a classic case of a "quiet quitter".

But don't worry, you're not alone.

Well, maybe worry a bit, but we'll get to that.

What is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting has become a buzzword, so much so that this week it was named one of Collins Dictionary's words of the year (beaten by permacrisis).

The concept really took off over the summer, when #quietquitting began trending on TikTok, as wannabe lifestyle gurus empowered their followers to resist unsatisfying work culture.

Interest in the phrase absolutely skyrocketed, with analysis by Similarweb showing more than 1.2 million online searches during August alone.

Many were people wondering what quiet quitting even is.

"Simply put, it is where an employee puts no more effort into their job than is absolutely necessary," Anisha Patel, applied research consultant at Steelcase, told Sky News.

You may rightly point out that this sort of thing has been going on for time immemorial, and all that's changed is a trendy TikTok personality has stuck a new term on it.

I mean, just watch this scene from The Simpsons from back in 1995.

"If you don't like your job, you don't strike, you just go in every day and do it really half-assed!"



The role of social media

"Nothing in the data would suggest there's something substantially different happening," says David D'Souza, membership director at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

But social media rubs off on people in a way that can make quiet quitting something we stop thinking about subconsciously and - somewhat ironically - actively work towards.

From dieting to money-making, hashtaggable rallying cries can completely change how we operate - if we think everyone we're following is doing it, why not try it too?

"What's new is the ability of social media to convey and make viral things that, previously, people would not have spoken up about," Mr D'Souza told Sky News.

Professor Emma Parry, from Cranfield School of Management, agrees social media has simply given a fresh face to an old problem.

"It's a good thing people can reach out for support on social media, and we know it can be positive - this is really about voice, and that’s more and more important for employees," she told Sky News.

"If this is about people working their set hours, moving away from the long-hours culture we've had historically, I'd say that’s a good thing.

"But if we mean employees becoming disengaged, not making to want an effort, then we know that can make employees less productive."

Do you need to worry about 'quiet firing'?

As Mr D'Souza points out, there is something of an irony in people speaking so loudly about something "quiet".

But as quiet quitting rises to prominence in our collective lexicon, is another rising to meet it?

If quiet quitting is about giving voice to disengaging from your work, quiet firing is the same for employers who have disengaged from staff.

With the move to hybrid working, the risk of being "quiet fired" may have become all the greater.

Take Microsoft: its latest report on work trends reveals while 87% of employees felt they were productive, 85% of bosses said hybrid working made it difficult for them to be confident of that.

Jemma Fairclough-Haynes, CEO of Orchard Employment Law, said technology and the shift to working from home "accelerated" the quiet quitting trend, as people sought to draw boundaries.

"For some who've continued not having that watchful eye on them all the time, it means can do... just enough."

Some organisations are boosting surveillance as a result. Research by VMware found 57% of UK companies have already implemented or are planning measures to monitor productivity since the shift to hybrid.

Natalie Cramp, CEO of data science firm Profusion, told Sky News such a "Draconian" policy would never work.

"I don't recommend it," adds Ms Fairclough-Haynes.

Professor Parry sees a more positive role for technology, making effective use of platforms like Teams, Zoom and "internal social media" to build relationships and discuss issues that lead to disengagement.

What's certain is that quiet firing isn't a healthy answer.

"Quiet firing is normally being used if the employer would like someone to… instead of being fired, realise it’s not a good fit, and therefore resign," says former self-confessed quiet firer Rebecca Leppard.

"It normally works better for the company because they don’t get severance, there’s no dispute - it’s a clean break."

For Ms Leppard, the process of quiet firing, being relatively inexperienced aged 26, was awful. She has since been a quiet quitter, too, on one occasion to retreat from a "toxic" workplace.

Thirteen years on from her quiet firing experience, Ms Leppard sees the new lingo as an opportunity to improve practices on both sides. She now runs Upgrading Women, a "training for retaining" firm aimed at women in tech.

Whether through salary, development, or a sense that work is truly valuable, experts agree employers must find a way to get on top of these "quiet" trends.

"Trust at work, quality of management, understanding how employees are feeling, how motivated they are - if this conversation helps brings them to the fore, that can only be good for people and organisations," says Mr D'Souza.

As Ms Leppard says, "the dangerous thing about quiet quitting is you're paying someone to keep the seat warm".
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spain and Portugal Recover from Massive Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
Singapore Politicians Warn Against Foreign Interference in Election
Driver Ploughs into Vancouver Festival Crowd, Killing Nine
Depression, Fear of Defamation, and a Tragic End: New Details on Virginia Giuffre’s Suicide
“Sharia for UK, Allah Akbar!”
Massive Explosion at Iran's Bandar Abbas Port Linked to Suspicious Chemical Shipments
Incident Reflection: A Harsh Reality Check
Pakistani migrants to Danish man: “ “We have 5 children while you have 1 or 2. In 10 years, there will be more Pakistanis than Danes here.“
Clashes Erupt in London as Tensions Rise Between Indian and Pakistani Communities
Specialized anti-drone weapons deployed among security personnel Ahead of Papal Funeral
How do you fix this culture?
Corrupted from Within: How Deep State Power and Unelected Judges Hijacked Democracy Against the Will of the People
President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky just held an impromptu discussion on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral in Rome.
World Leaders Gather in Rome for Pope Francis's Funeral
Pope Francis Laid to Rest in Rome as World Leaders Attend Funeral
Alberta's Push for Independence Raises Questions About Canada's National Unity
Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein accuser, dies by suicide
"China has survived for five thousand years, most of it without the United States as a market, and it can easily continue to survive without the U.S. market for another five thousand years — no problem," said a China analyst.
Elites vs. America: How Democrats Lost the Plot and the People
Pam Bondi Details Wisconsin Judge’s Actions Before Arrest: 'Can't Make This Up'
Not Child’s Play: How Competitive Gaming Became a Global Economic Empire
California Surpasses Japan to Become the World’s Fourth-Largest Economy
Peter Navarro: The Man Behind Trump’s Tariff Madness
Milwaukee Judge Arrested on Allegations of Aiding Undocumented Immigrant’s Escape
Former U.S. Congressman George Santos sentenced to eighty-seven months for wide-ranging fraud
Trump administration moves to BAN essentially ALL artificial food dyes in the USA food supply at RFK Jr.'s direction
Woman slaps man at sports game and gets herself and husband beat up
Pope Francis: head of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice
China do not pay these tariffs - you pay it. This is new 145% tax you pay to the US government.
Nightlife in the streets of Manchester
In God We Profit
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
UK Prison Officers Demand Electric Stun Guns Amid Safety Concerns
China, China, China!
Australian National Charged as Mercenary for Fighting in Ukraine
Israel Considers Limited Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Facilities Amid Diplomatic Efforts
Prince Andrew Joins Royal Family Attends Easter Sunday Service at Windsor Castle
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Here’s a police officer with a brilliant gift for swift education
"Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
Canadian Federal Election: Candidates' Positions on US-Canada Relations and Donald Trump
×