I was just entering my middle management years when I was handed my first real opportunity to lead something from scratch. A large-scale project that didn’t exist yet in form, but was full of potential. It was all heart and all grit. Long days, high stakes, but the joy of creating something meaningful made it worth every bit of it. The organisation was deeply invested, structurally, financially, emotionally, for the first five to six years.
And then, the winds changed.
With new leadership came new priorities. The purpose got diluted. The asks became transactional. And slowly, the project which was once a north star began to feel like just another line item.
I didn’t quit. I still showed up. But I started caring a little less. The spark was harder to find.
I didn’t have the language for it back then. But now, I recognise it for what it was: quiet quitting.
The quietest crisis in the workplace today:
In most workplaces today, people are still showing up. They’re attending meetings, delivering tasks & replying to emails.
But something is missing.. and it’s not effort. It’s energy, it’s care, it’s connection.
Welcome to the quietest crisis in today’s workplaces: not burnout, not resignation, it’s disengagement.
And it’s showing up as the world calls it now, quiet quitting. It is a silent challenge unfolding in the modern workplace today, fueled by stress, blurred work-life boundaries, and also lack of felt connection with the larger purpose of the organisation.
A Signal, Not a Flaw
Although the term “quiet quitting” found momentum during the pandemic, the experience behind it is age-old. At its heart, it refers to a state of emotional withdrawal, when someone begins to do only what’s required, not because they don’t care, but because they no longer feel that their care matters.
The headlines were quick to call it a generational shift or a dip in work ethic. But data paints a more grounded picture. Gallup’s State of the Workplace report shows that 59% of employees globally are not engaged. Quiet quitting is most common where there is weak connection between employees and their managers, a relationship that, when nurtured well, is the single strongest predictor of engagement.
What Needs to Shift: Culture, Clarity, Coaching
Culture: seeping into the everyday
Workplace culture isn’t about slogans or offsites, it’s the daily experience of what’s valued, what’s ignored, and what’s rewarded.
A study by C. Wright & J. Patterson (2023) showed that when organisations invested in cultural renewal including leadership training, workload reform, and real dialogue, quiet quitting behaviours dropped by 32% in just a year.
When people feel that their efforts matter and their humanity is seen, they show up differently. Culture isn’t just how we work. It’s why we work.
Clarity: knowing your role in the larger picture
Many people disengage not because they’re overworked but because they’re working in a fog. They don’t know what’s expected. They can’t see how their effort ladders up to something bigger. They’re unclear on how success is defined and more importantly, how it’s recognised.
When organisations build systems for clear, two-way communication, not just task briefs, but real conversations, they reawaken trust. And trust is the ground from which energy and creativity grow.
Communication: the glue between people and purpose
Even when culture and clarity are strong, a lack of consistent, authentic communication can erode connection.
Leaders who make space for dialogue, feedback, and real listening help teams feel seen, valued and connected. Open lines of communication ensure that purpose is not just set at the top but lives in every conversation, every decision, every handoff. Strong communication doesn’t just transmit information, but depending on how it is transmitted, it strengthens belonging.
According to a SHRM report, 85% of employees report feeling more engaged when their leaders communicate transparently. When leaders hold regular, honest conversations and clarify decisions, it uplifts engagement significantly. And this ought to go beyond townhalls into the day-to-day operations.
The role of leadership
These shifts, while being essential and strategic, cannot be achieved without leadership being seriously invested in them. Culture flows from the top. If leaders themselves are unclear, overwhelmed, or disconnected, that shapes the tone for everyone else. And this doesn’t just apply to C-Suite leaders but also middle managers who are the cultural bridges, translating vision into action, holding teams together, often with little support themselves. They’re the ones who notice first when someone disengages, and the ones people look to for safety and clarity.
But in a world that is constantly asking more of leaders, this can be hard to do. How does a leader create clarity for others when the environment shifts constantly? How do they create connection and open communication, when the pace of change leaves them feeling disconnected themselves? Leaders need spaces where they can feel heard, seen and nourished so they can grow, and create these spaces for others around them.
A Final Thought
Quiet quitting isn’t about doing the bare minimum.
It’s a quiet signal of unmet needs.
It’s a question: Does what I do here still matter?
While that’s a challenge, that’s also an opportunity.
To build cultures where people feel seen, safe, and significant.
To equip leaders not just to direct, but to connect.
To treat coaching not as a crisis response, but as a leadership practice.
And to listen more closely to the silence because it’s telling us something.
What would shift if we heard it and chose to respond? Have some thoughts?
That’s something that has had personal significance for me as a leader and us as a company.
Write in and we can chat.
