quiet quitting

1 of 2

noun

: the practice of doing the minimum amount of work required for one's job

Quiet quitting refers to doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary. As such, it is something of a misnomer, since the worker doesn't actually leave their position and continues to collect a salary.

—Greg Daugherty

I recently learned about this term called quiet quitting, where you're not outright quitting your job, but you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond. You're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life.

—Zaid Khan (@zaidleppelin), on TikTok

For many employees, quiet quitting is a form of setting boundaries in a professional context.

—Megan Prevost

In schools—especially those with unionized teachers—quiet quitting may sound a lot like the "work to rule" concept when employees stick to official working rules and hours exactly to the letter.

—Elizabeth Heubeck

quiet quitting

2 of 2

present participle of quiet quit

Examples of quiet quitting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Connection Between Quiet Quitting And Quiet Hiring While quiet quitting focuses on disengaged employees, the workplace has also seen the rise of quiet hiring—where companies fill talent gaps without publicizing traditional hiring practices. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025

With ‘quiet quitting’ reaching new levels, businesses are exploring ways to reverse this trend. —Nadia Edwards-Dashti, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

In an era where ‘quiet quitting’ went viral and the great resignation had everyone rethinking their relationship with work, Keke Palmer took a different approach. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 29 Oct. 2024

But quiet quitting isn’t all bad—and may serve as a wake-up call to many employers for the type of professional development younger employees crave. —Mark C. Perna, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

2022, in the meaning defined above