London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Everyone Is Talking About 'Quiet Quitting'. But Is It A Good Idea?

Everyone Is Talking About 'Quiet Quitting'. But Is It A Good Idea?

Quiet Quitting: TikTok and Twitter are awash in explainer videos and endless interpretations. Despite what the name suggests, quiet quitting doesn't mean turning in a resignation letter.

"Quiet quitting" has struck a nerve. It means more time for friends, family and personal pursuits, not to mention a side hustle. But the latest workplace trend has drawbacks.

TikTok and Twitter are awash in explainer videos and endless interpretations. Despite what the name suggests, quiet quitting doesn't mean turning in a resignation letter. Instead, it's a stealth retreat from the hustle culture that dominated the pre-pandemic era of giving up everything in pursuit of ambition. Quiet quitting is the newly minted moniker for doing the bare minimum of the job description.

Should you quietly quit, too? Here's why and why not:


Work-life balance: Zaid Khan, 24, who created a popular quiet quitting video on TikTok, said he started exploring "work reform" and the subreddit r/AntiWork during the Covid-19 lockdown when his job became all-consuming.

"I realized no matter how much work I put in I'm not going to see the payoff that I'm expecting," Khan, a software developer and musician, said in an interview. "Overworking only gets you so far in corporate America. And like a lot of us have experienced in the past few years, mental and physical health really takes a backseat to productivity in a lot of these structured corporate environments."

According to a report released by the American Psychological Association in January, the kind of burnout and stress Khan encountered has hit all-time highs across industries during the pandemic.

Organizational psychologist Ben Granger, head of employee experience advisory services at survey firm Qualtrics, said that quiet quitting can be a way to protect mental and physical health in a toxic work environment. But staying in a miserable job and putting in the bare minimum means giving up the fulfillment that can come from a good one.

For his part, Khan ended up quitting for real for a new manager who respects his work-life boundaries. "He tells me all the time, your health comes first," he said. "If you ever need to take a day off or if you need to ever take need to take some time away... there's so much more than work that we're doing."

Passion projects: Antrell Vining, 25, has a day job as a project manager in the finance industry. As a side hustle after hours, he creates social media content about the tech industry and millennial and Gen Z work life. After dropping out of medical school to pursue a career in tech, he works to help others make similar career changes. With close to 30,000 followers on TikTok, Vining makes money offering career and resume consulting services and through partnerships with companies, he said. For him, quiet quitting means setting boundaries so he has the time and energy to pursue his passion project.

In one video, which satirizes quiet quitting in action, he slams his laptop shut mid-Zoom meeting at 5 p.m. sharp.

A streak of entrepreneurship coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and a record 5.4 million new businesses were started in the US last year, according to Census data.

"Nowadays, everyone is an entrepreneur of sorts and we would much rather put that extra energy into our own ventures outside of a 9-to-5," Vining said by email. "Once 5 o'clock comes around, I take a breather and get to work on my own stuff or spend some well-deserved time with friends and family," he said. "I like to make content that reminds people that they should do the same."

It's not for everyone: Of course, not everybody is comfortable with quiet quitting. There are many reasons people feel the need to maintain their job at all costs whether it's the health care, the steady paycheck or any of the other benefits that traditional corporate jobs afford. Putting that at risk can be too big a wager to make.

Jha'nee Carter, 38, who calls herself the HR Queen on TikTok, said that quiet quitting has added risks for marginalized groups. "Can minorities afford to do this in corporate America? In my opinion, I'm going to say no," Carter, a business coach and content creator, said in a video.

Structural inequalities remain in many industries throughout the US: Gender and racial pay disparities, as well as a general dearth of diversity in c-suites, are well-documented.

"If you are quietly quitting and you're not going above and beyond, unfortunately in corporate America minorities are held to a different standard," she said. "We are looked at differently, there is unconscious bias still, and so we have to go above and beyond in order to be successful. We can't risk being looked at as not performing, if we are not meeting those expectations, we are the first on the chopping block."

Recession risk: Quiet quitting has gone viral at a time of deep uncertainty in the labor market. With a war for talent and more jobs than workers throughout the economy, employees have had the upper hand over their bosses. But a looming recession and layoffs at high-profile companies like Apple Inc., Peloton Interactive Inc. and Walmart Inc. indicate the balance of power could be tipping.

A new survey by consulting firm PwC found that half of respondents in the US said they're reducing headcount or plan to. A July report from Joblist, a job search platform, found that 60% of job seekers feel more urgency to find a new one now before economic conditions change.

"Corporations are laying people off with a quickness," Carter added in her video. "And so if you have decided to quietly quit, I really hope that you're quietly having a recruiter look for another job for you."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×