London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 28, 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

0:00
0:00
Close
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
×