ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Increasingly, some U.S. workers are "quiet quitting," a term that refers to a phenomenon in which employees still perform their job duties but no longer go above and beyond. While employees say they're simply setting boundaries, new research by the SHRM Research Institute shares that more than half (51 percent) of HR professionals are concerned about the negative impact of quiet quitting, while 1 in 3 agree that people managers at their organization are concerned. But despite the growing apprehension among HR professionals, fewer (36 percent) are reporting that quiet quitting is actively occurring within their organization.
Of HR professionals who do report that their organization is experiencing quiet quitting, 3 in 5 (60 percent) say their organization's culture enables this behavior, with qualitative data revealing management issues (e.g., lack of engagement, communication issues, poor people management) and remote and hybrid work (e.g., poor supervisor support, lack of accountability) as common themes affecting workplace culture and encouraging quiet quitting.
"With a slowing economy, employers can't afford to have employees loudly or quietly quit," said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, SHRM president and chief executive officer. "Organizations must ensure they have strong, healthy cultures that are communicated clearly to their employees. Employees who are culturally-aligned will thrive; those who aren't happy with their organization's culture and way of work should find more ideal employment."
Key findings include:
- 51 percent of HR professionals are concerned about quiet quitting; somewhat fewer (36 percent) report that it's actively occurring within their organization.
- Of HR professionals concerned that quiet quitting will negatively impact their organization, many believe it will decrease employee morale in the workplace (83 percent), decrease employee productivity (70 percent), or decrease the quality of employee work products (50 percent).
- Of HR professionals who report their organization is experiencing quiet quitting, nearly 3 in 4 (72 percent) say they are witnessing the Millennial (26-41 years old) employee population quiet quit within their organization.
- 43 percent of HR professionals agree that employee productivity is a big concern at their organization right now.
However, while nearly half (45 percent) of HR professionals say their organization has struggled more than usual to motivate employees to go above and beyond the scope of their work in the past six months, more than two-thirds (67 percent) say productivity at their organization today is actually high. Notably, these percentages look different among organizations that do report levels of quiet quitting, indicating the possible organizational need to re-examine company culture and its leadership: 75 percent report struggling more than usual to motivate employees to go above and beyond and only 51 percent indicate high productivity.
Methodology:
The survey was fielded electronically to a random sample of HR professionals from the active SHRM membership from August 25, 2022, to August 30, 2022.
In total, 1,234 members participated in the survey. Academics, students, consultants and retired HR professionals were excluded. Respondents represented organizations of all sizes in a wide variety of industries across the United States.
About SHRM
SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today's evolving workplaces. More than 95% of Fortune 500 companies rely on SHRM to be their go-to resource for all things work and their business partner in creating next-generation workplaces. With 300,000+ HR and business executive members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 115 million workers and families globally. Learn more at SHRM.org and on Twitter @SHRM.