The “Quiet Quitting” revisited – “Meaningless work can no longer be the center of my life”

The “Quiet Quitting” is still here. More and more employees are doing the bare minimum necessary in the workplace. They do not tend to take more responsibility or participate in what they think are unnecessary activities or meetings.

This trend, which started during the pandemic, still affects more people than ever. Even now, more than 50% of employees do not feel engaged or committed to their workplace. It has become a viral trend on social media and a nightmare for HR professionals and employers worldwide.

According to Gallup surveys, 32% of employees globally do not feel engaged in their workplace. 17% are “actively not engaged” and look for another place to work. So, 50% of employees are not there, whilst getting salaries and benefits. Performance is low and both employers and employees are frustrated.

Recently, there has been a tendency to blame “Gen Z” as a generation that is lazy and not committed to their workplace. Some companies even avoid recruiting Gen Z employees because of this mindset. But this is not enough to explain this phenomenon.

The deeper root cause of the “Quit quitting” situation at this time is a deep sense of lack of meaning. Since the Corona health crisis, employees have experienced working from home and spending more time with themselves and their families. The question of “What is the center of my life, and does it have any meaning?” became very real. Spending 40-60 hours weekly on meaningless work became intolerable.

There are two core reasons for this “Quiet quitting”:

One reason is that most jobs are not designed to be meaningful. Many job descriptions are leftovers from the industrial age that deemed people to work like machines. That is a common and obsolete mindset amongst many employers.

Most managers do not connect employees to the deeper meaning of their work. We globally train managers as coaches to their team members. One of the crucial coaching conversations is about connecting their employees to the larger meaning of their work. We find in our training work with managers that the vast majority do not practice this kind of conversation.

The second reason is that employees choose jobs according to the “Survival and mediocrity model.” According to this model, getting a salary is the main reason for being employed. Over time, this mindset leads to a lack of fulfillment and meaning.

There is another option which is choosing your career according to N.E.W.S.? “Greatness model”. This model is key to navigating your life and career according to your core capabilities and core passions. This career path over time creates a sense of fulfilment and meaning. Working in any job just because it pays your bills is not sustainable in an environment where people can have a choice.

In other words, work without meaning can be the acceptable standard only in an economic situation where people have no other choice.

Employees in 2025 require meaningful work that will allow them to express their potential and Greatness and to experience self-fulfillment. They require work that is contributing and has some larger meaning.

This reality means that something deep has shifted in the world of work.?We could sense it three years ago, but now it has become a reality. Employers can choose to ignore it or blame the generational gap. Studies by Great Place to Work show that employees who feel that their work is meaningful are twice as likely to stay in their workplace and be fully engaged.

It is the responsibility of leaders to connect employees to the larger meaning of their work and to create meaningful jobs. It is the responsibility of employees to navigate their careers to where they can find meaning and fulfillment.

The NEWS Compass? was created as a navigation tool for both employers and employees to create a reality where most employees are engaged and feel fulfilled and meaningful. Many organizations understand now the impact of “Quiet quitting” and are looking for ways to improve it. But do they understand the core reasons for it and what will remedy it? This question remains to be answered.

Aviad Goz

N.E.W.S. Navigation? Creator and Founder

31/1/25