Some people go out with a bang but others go out with a whisper. A phrase that has become popular in the last few years, “quiet quitting” is when employees start doing the minimum requirements of their jobs. For example, not picking up extra shifts or volunteering to work overtime fall under this trend that started appearing after the COVID pandemic.

Most students get a job just because they want extra money or job experience or their parents want them to be more financially independent. Rather than just quit, quiet quitters will do the bare minimum until something better comes along. Other reasons could be because they want to leave their job but are too scared to quit or are afraid of confronting their boss to quit or are looking for a new job but they don’t want to quit their current job.  

You also have unemployment benefits to think about. If you get fired, you may qualify to apply for unemployment benefits from the government, but if you quit, then you do not get these benefits. In Florida, to receive unemployment benefits (according to benefits.gov) you must be an unemployed, Florida resident, have worked in the state during the past 12 months, earned a minimum amount of wages, and are actively looking for another job. Your weekly benefit is calculated by dividing your total earnings for the highest paid quarter of the base period by 26, up to a current maximum of $275 per week. But if you quit, you will not be eligible for these benefits. 

Aside from what seem like valid reasons, there is always the question as to whether or not quiet quitting is ethical, especially when most people want to do the best they can. 

“I think [quiet quitting] is ethical because some people may not want the confrontation that comes with quitting,” expressed senior Sophia Araujo, who works as a babysitter . “I could tell the people I babysit for that I am to busy to babysit and if I keep saying that then they will have to find a new babysitter.”  

Another senior, Crystal Pena, who works at PacSun in the Mall at Wellington Green, agrees with Araujo.  “II think quiet quitting is ethical because what if someone is to shy to quit or they are forced to have a job, so I think if that is how they have to leave their job then that is how they should do it, and I think letting yourself get fired for the benefits is their choice and they´ll get benefits in the future so that is good for the.”.

Harvard Business Review, in publication since 1922, noted that on the surface, quiet quitting may look fine since the employees are technically still working even though they aren’t going above and beyond.  For some  companies, however, having employees that go “beyond the call of duty” gives them a competitive edge. 

“The reality is that most jobs can’t be fully defined in a formal job description or contract, so organizations rely on employees to step up to meet extra demands as needed,” the publication explained.  “As such, it’s hardly surprising that many leaders have reacted quite negatively to the quiet quitting trend.”