quiet quitting

Meaning

Quiet quitting refers to the practice of doing only the bare minimum required by one's job description and not taking on any extra, unpaid tasks. It is not actually resigning from a job, but rather setting boundaries to prevent burnout and maintain work-life balance.

Examples

• Instead of working late every night, Sarah started quiet quitting to focus on her mental health.

  Instead of working late every night, Sarah started quiet quitting to focus on her mental health.

• Many managers are worried that quiet quitting will lower the team's overall productivity.

  Many managers are worried that quiet quitting will lower the team's overall productivity.

• He isn't planning to leave the company, but his quiet quitting means he won't be volunteering for extra projects anymore.

  He isn't planning to leave the company, but his quiet quitting means he won't be volunteering for extra projects anymore.

• Quiet quitting became a massive trend on social media as people reevaluated their relationship with work.

  Quiet quitting became a massive trend on social media as people reevaluated their relationship with work.

• If you feel like quiet quitting, it might be time to have an honest conversation with your boss about your workload.

  If you feel like quiet quitting, it might be time to have an honest conversation with your boss about your workload.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He quiet quit his job and now he is unemployed.

  ✓ He quiet quit his job, but he still works there.

  Quiet quitting does not mean actually leaving or resigning from your job; it means doing only the required work while staying employed.

• ✗ She is quiet quitting because she always works overtime.

  ✓ She is quiet quitting, so she refuses to work overtime.

  Quiet quitting is the act of stopping overtime, not a result of doing it.

Related Expressions

Practice

• After months of burnout, James decided to try ___ by leaving the office exactly at five every day.

  💡 Doing only your minimum job requirements.

  Show answer

  quiet quitting

• Some employers view ___ as laziness, while employees see it as protecting their personal time.

  💡 The practice of not doing extra unpaid work.

  Show answer

  quiet quitting