Is it really okay to slack off at work?

Slacking off has become a trend in recent years.

In the past, employees were eager to give 110% of their energy to their jobs, happily contributing to the idea of “one big working family.”

But nowadays, people in general just don’t care about their jobs in the same way anymore.

The 9-5 work culture is starting to fall apart.

And this didn’t happen overnight.

It was a slow, almost invisible process. The consequences only became obvious over the past couple of years, especially after the COVID pandemic in 2020.

Truth is, when people stayed home, they began to realize how absurd it is to spend five days a week stuck in an office, pouring all their energy in work, only to be left with two days of freedom.

And if that work-life imbalance wasn’t enough…

Many also realized that not only were they spending most of their lives at work, but their employers were constantly asking them to give MORE by:

• taking on extra work,
• staying late after working hours,
• attending company events on weekends,
• being a “team player” covering for coworkers – without any extra pay!

People Ran Out Of Energy

They realized they had been neglecting their friends, family, hobbies, and even their own dreams and values, all for the sake of working in cubicles like hamsters on a wheel.

But instead of trying to understand why people were slacking off at work, employers started coming up with strategies to “spot” quiet quitters… and punish them for it!

What Is Quiet Quitting?

“Quiet quitting” basically means that if an employee once used to:

• Work themselves thin,
• Stay late,
• Skip lunch breaks,
• Pour 200% of their energy into the job,
• Actively participate in and even initiate meetings,

they simply don’t do it anymore.

Instead, they start sticking to the basics written in their employment contract. They only do what they’re actually paid for, nothing more, nothing less.

And it isn’t about walking out, it’s about letting go of the extra effort.

Quiet quitters slowly change their mentality from:

“My job is one of the most important things in my life”

to

“I go to work to make a living”.

When Do People Quiet Quit?

Quiet quitting is disengaging from work in a discreet manner, without openly expressing dissatisfaction.

It usually happens when an employee has tried to voice their concerns, but was ignored.

Maybe they:

• were denied a pay raise without any clear explanation or or timeline for improvement;
• were handed more and more “unofficial” responsibilities, without recognition or compensation;
• were left working in poor conditions – lack of space, too much noise, lack of light, dirty air, too cold etc.;
• struggled with disorganized workflows, only to have their suggestions rejected or brushed aside by management or HR.

What does a baby do when it cries and the mother doesn’t respond?

It stops crying.

It finds other ways to self-soothe, because it learns that the caregiver can’t be relied on.

Same thing happens with employees. But people can’t always afford to quit their job when they are unhappy at the workplace.

They may not have enough savings, may need to support their family, pay a mortgage, or simply don’t have another job lined up yet.

So, in the meantime, they “quiet quit.”

They pull back, do the bare minimum, and slack off, not out of laziness, but as a way to cope and protect themselves from the crushing weight of burnout.

Interestingly, burnout itself wasn’t even recognized by psychology until the latter half of the 20th century, simply because workplaces had never been so demanding before.

As jobs became more intense, with longer hours and higher expectations, psychologists began noticing the destructive impact of chronic stress on employees.

(If you’re an employee dealing with severe burnout and feel like there’s no escape, I’ve put together some “slacking off” strategies that can help lower your stress levels. )

So…How do you know if an employee has “quiet quit”?

Here are some common signs:

• They arrive and leave exactly on time – no more, no less;
• They show no interest in joining new projects;
• They avoid starting discussions or leading meetings;
• They complete tasks by meeting only the bare minimum requirements, they don’t bother “exceeding expectations”;
• They skip team-building events, office parties, and other work gatherings;
• They have zero interest in company’s “strategic goals”;
• They start taking more days off, are often late, or extend their lunch breaks;
• They show no interest in development opportunities like courses or learning new skills;
• They subtly express discontent through negative remarks.
  

Frankly, I feel the term “quiet quitting” is often used unfairly in a negative way. It suggests that it is normal, (or even expected), for employees to constantly give more than they receive.

But when employees choose not to go above and beyond, companies treat it as a problem.

People go to work to make a living.

Of course, some people truly love their work and find meaning in building a career. These are the self-motivated employees who thrive when the right environment allows them to flourish.

Employers should feel lucky to have them, and reward them properly with better pay, benefits, and perks like extra time off.

But what about the majority of people who don’t find deep meaning in showing up at the office every day?

Why Are People Slacking Off At Work

People simply don’t have the will or energy to deal with work stress anymore

It’s no secret that companies set higher and higher goals every year. And this inevitably brings stress to the employees – even to the most ambitious ones.

At some point, the work-life imbalance becomes so unbearable that employees just refuse to deal with it anymore.

Some realize they’ve been spending so much time chasing goals that aren’t even theirs to begin with.

They notice they have neglected their families, their health, and their own goals and dreams.

So they decide to take their energy back – by doing only the bare minimum.

They clock out, and with that, they mentally leave work behind.

Of course, this shift in mindset shows up in their performance.

Inadequate Work Culture

A company’s “face” is shaped by countless small factors.

When those factors add up to an inadequate work culture, employees start to lose respect for the company and want no association with it.

This includes:

• Unequal treatment between management and employees (e.g., management enjoys higher health insurance limits);
• Poor working conditions;
• Playing “cheap” – like providing the lowest-quality equipment or hosting bare-minimum events, even when the company is performing well;
• Punishing responsible employees by making them pick up the slack left by others;
• Not hiring new stuff squeezing as much as possible out of the existing team;
• Ignoring employee feedback. For example: after a survey shows 60% of employees are unhappy with work conditions, the company doesn’t fix the problems – it just organizes seminars to “promote company values” in hopes of making people more engaged.

No motivation

Why would anyone be motivated to go above and beyond when they know they gain nothing from it?

My friend Grace, a former HR business partner, once told me her company had a quota for annual performance bonuses.

• Only 5% of employees could receive an “A” grade (worth three monthly salaries).
• 10% could receive a “B” grade (two monthly salaries).
• Which means that all the rest, even if they did a good job, got either one monthly salary, or nothing at all.

To make things worse, there were no objective “criteria” for these grades.

Naturally, employees began to realize that no matter how hard they worked, the odds of being in that top 5% were slim.

So many simply stopped trying.

What Happens When Employees Don’t Work?

Employees start to “quiet quit” and slack off when they feel used.

They choose not to invest any more of their energy in a job that gives them no meaning.

But here’s the thing: every organization’s success depends on its employees.

If a company refuses to adapt to the changing needs of its people, taking more while giving less, it eventually pays the price.

The result? A damaged reputation, heavier workloads for the remaining staff, higher turnover, and all the costs that come with losing talent.

Are you a quiet quitter?

What made you take that step?

Read more on work psychology:

How burnout at the workplace affects you

Why HR should not be trusted

I’m also dealing with relationship problems

TheThinkAbout is a website based on psychology in practice and experience.

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