Silent resignation, the labor modality that is becoming popular in the United States

As a response to the hustle culture, it is estimated that more than half of workers in the United States are using silent resignation, or quiet quitting, which means only performing the mandatory functions in their job.

Silent resignation, or quiet quitting, is the trend among employees to not perform functions beyond those that are mandatory according to their position, such as refusing to respond to emails or calls from their bosses during days off, evenings or simply not performing additional tasks.

According to a Gallup survey, more than half of US workers are using silent resignation, performing only the tasks they are required to do. According to the numbers, the proportion of actively disengaged workers is now 18%, the highest it has been in almost a decade.

Among workers under the age of 35, the percentage of actively disengaged employees increased by six percentage points.

Silent resignation became known thanks to the TikTok video of 24-year-old Zaid Khan, an engineer from New York, as a response to the “hustle” culture.

“Todavía estás cumpliendo con tus deberes, pero ya no estás suscribiéndote mentalmente a la cultura del ajetreo de que el trabajo tiene que ser nuestra vida. La realidad es que no lo es, y tu valor como persona no se define por tu trabajo”, expresa en el video.

Silent resignation became popular in the United States under the premise of ” work is not your life,” as a possible reaction to the so-called hustle culture, which is when workers have a 24/7 work routine, popularized by figures like Gary Vaynerchuk.

Silent resignation, a strong impulse.

“Silent resignation is an antidote to the hustle culture. It is an almost direct resistance and disruption of the hustle culture. And I think it’s exciting that more people are doing it,” said Nadia De Ala, founder of Real You Leadership, who applied silent resignation about five years ago.

During the second half of 2022, silent resignation has a very strong momentum, which is noticeable when the productivity rate of workers in the United States generates concern, as it recorded its biggest annual drop in the second quarter.

The pandemic may have been an important turning point in reaching silent resignation, as it made processes more difficult and changed the work process.

“This is a problem because most current jobs require some level of extra effort to collaborate with coworkers and meet the needs of customers,” writes Gallup’s Chief Workplace Management Scientist Jim Harter.

Sources: CNBC/Axios