77, Quiet Quitting and Silent Resignation: Understanding the trend and managing it
Quiet quitting is a phenomenon that many organisations are experiencing today, often without formally recognising it. It refers to a situation where an employee continues to be physically present at work and performs their defined role, but withdraws discretionary effort and emotional engagement.
What Quiet Quitting Really Means
Quiet quitting does not mean underperformance in the traditional sense. Employees who are quietly quitting usually meet the basic expectations of their role and deliver what is formally required of them.
What is missing is the willingness to go beyond the job description—problem solving, initiative, creativity, and the extra effort that organisations implicitly expect when they hire talent.
Why Quiet Quitting Is a Serious Productivity Issue
From an organisational perspective, quiet quitting is one of the most significant yet invisible drains on productivity. Organisations do not hire people merely to complete tasks; they hire them to apply judgement, improve outcomes, and contribute beyond minimum expectations.
When employees withdraw this discretionary effort, output slows down, collaboration weakens, and friction increases across teams.
Quiet Quitting as a Professional Emotion
Quiet quitting is best understood as a professional emotional state rather than a behavioural defect. Most professionals experience it at some point in their careers.
It can arise when individuals feel that their contributions are not valued, their growth has stalled, or their effort is consistently ignored or discouraged.
Common Triggers for Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting may be triggered by a range of factors, including unprofessional supervisory behaviour, lack of recognition, perceived unfairness, role ambiguity, or repeated experiences of being asked to stay within rigid boundaries.
In some cases, personal or family pressures also contribute, causing individuals to conserve emotional and mental energy at work.
The Progression from Quiet Quitting to Exit
If left unaddressed, quiet quitting often becomes a precursor to silent resignation. At this stage, the employee has mentally decided to leave and may already be searching for other opportunities.
Quiet quitting represents a critical window where intervention is still possible. Once silent resignation sets in, recovery becomes significantly harder.
How Quiet Quitting Manifests in Behaviour
Employees who are quietly quitting typically limit themselves to clearly defined tasks, avoid taking risks, and show little interest in proposing new ideas or solutions.
They may appear compliant and dependable on the surface, but their engagement and ownership steadily decline.
The Manager’s Role in Addressing Quiet Quitting
The primary responsibility for addressing quiet quitting lies with the immediate supervisor, not the HR team. Managers are closest to daily behaviour, motivation, and emotional cues.
HR’s role is to equip managers with the skills and frameworks needed to recognise disengagement early and respond constructively.
Organisational Signals and Measurement
Most organisations will always have a small proportion of employees experiencing quiet quitting at any given time. However, when this number crosses a critical threshold, it signals a systemic issue.
Tools such as employee satisfaction surveys, pulse checks, and structured communication channels help identify patterns before productivity erosion becomes widespread.
Why Communication Systems Matter
Strong communication systems—formal and informal—are essential in preventing quiet quitting from becoming entrenched. These include manager‑employee conversations, peer interactions, open‑door policies, and anonymous feedback mechanisms.
With the increasing use of analytics and AI in HR, organisations can also identify disengagement patterns across teams and intervene proactively.
The Cost of Ignoring Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting results in underutilised capacity, much like a machine running at half efficiency. The cost is not immediately visible, but it compounds over time.
Addressing quiet quitting early preserves productivity, strengthens trust, and prevents avoidable attrition.
Related Podcast Episode
This article is based on the transcript of the original podcast of the same name featured in India HR Guide.
The transcript has been translated into this article with the support of AI and a human‑in‑the‑loop process.
