For the last six months, work has been a slog. You’ve been waiting to find out if you’re going to get a pay rise, but more work keeps landing on your plate. You’re pulled into meetings with no agenda, and you feel less enthusiastic about work every day. Although you do what needs to be done, you don’t go "above and beyond’ like you used to". It’s a scenario so common that it has its own name — quiet quitting.

Around 62% of employees globally are not engaged at work, meaning they are doing the minimum required, and detached from their job, according to Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report. Findings were based on survey data from more than 128,278 individuals based in more than 160 countries.

There are many reasons why a worker may quiet quit, including poor management, burnout, a toxic workplace environment and stagnant pay. But research suggests that we may actually be hardwired to give up, particularly in response to prolonged stress.

It’s similar to a phenomenon called "learned helplessness", which was coined by American psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier. In a famous experiment in the 1960s — now considered unethical by modern standards — Seligman administered electric shocks to dogs. Over time, the animals learned they couldn’t free themselves, so they stopped trying. Even when it became possible to avoid the shock by jumping over a barrier, the dogs gave up.

In a 2016 paper, Seligman and Maier suggested that passivity, rather than helplessness, is a common response to prolonged adversity. This may be because our brains assume control isn’t an option in these circumstances, so we enter a state called "default passivity".

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It helps to explain why a worker, when faced with continual stress and frustration, may simply check out.

“No matter how hard we try to avoid it, absolutely every single one of us encounters stress throughout our lives. However, when we face uncontrollable stressors or challenging situations repeatedly, we are often left feeling helpless,” says Dr Sophie Mort, a clinical psychologist and mental health expert at Headspace.

“I’m sure we’ve all experienced a time when we feel like we can’t win or control a situation, and so it feels easier to not even try or to give up.

"This is what we call ‘learned helplessness’, which develops over time after we’ve experienced repeated failures. We may no longer feel driven to go above and beyond for our employers as a result of us feeling unsupported or persistently stressed in the workplace.”

This learned helplessness can be explained by evolution. “It’s a survival tactic we’ve learnt from our ancestors to preserve our physical and mental energy for the other things we need to do to survive,” says Mort.

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However, she adds, not all examples of quiet quitting are linked to learned helplessness and prolonged stress. For example, we might quiet quit as we simply want to avoid making difficult or uncomfortable decisions that will affect others.

“Instead of biting the bullet and telling others how we feel, which can be scary, we pull back at work and slowly opt out. There are many reasons for quiet quitting,” adds Mort.

Quiet quitting can prevent burnout

Our predilection for working long hours arguably comes from our hustle culture, which rewards overtime at the expense of our health and personal lives.

Quiet quitting is a backlash to the idea that we have to live to work. Turning up to work, doing your job and leaving on time should be seen as a positive step.

For some people, quiet quitting is a way to protect themselves from burnout — or emotional and physical exhaustion.

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“Quiet quitting isn't always bad — it’s a way to protect mental health,” says Lucy Kemp, Future of Work expert and researcher. “However, it can make work feel boring and make the problem worse. Women, in particular, are more prone to burnout and quiet quitting.

“For Gen Z, quiet quitting is becoming the future of work as they prioritise mental health. Companies need to recognise this and put in place supportive measures.

“To thrive, businesses need to respect boundaries while increasing engagement to maintain high productivity.”

How employers can prevent quiet quitting

Quiet quitting isn’t inherently bad, as it can be a rational response to protecting our wellbeing. And, importantly, it is unreasonable for employers to expect workers to work long hours, avoid taking breaks and answer emails after hours.

Moreover, fully disengaging from work is something managers should seek to avoid. To keep workers happy, fulfilled and engaged, they need to feel like they’re respected, trusted and valued.

This means treating people with decency, listening to their concerns, paying them fairly, and ensuring they have a manageable workload.

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It can also help to give employees autonomy — the feeling of having control over their lives. Research has shown that having autonomy, for example, letting people choose their own hours, schedules and whether they work remotely or in-office, is directly linked to better mental health and job satisfaction.

If you notice yourself quiet quitting, it’s important to question why you may be withdrawing from work.

“Could it be that we have been doing the same job for a while and so we have lost sight of the meaning of our work?” asks Mort. “And before we mentally check out, is there another way in which we can seek purpose? For example, investing our time into learning new skills.

“We spend a significant portion of our time at work, and if it’s causing constant stress, our body and mind are prevented from experiencing relaxation and renewal,” she adds. “Finding the right tools and resources that help to protect and prioritise our well-being is essential.”

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