Quiet quitters are taking the phrase "phoning it in" to a whole new level.
Today, 21 percent of employed Americans are doing the bare minimum, according to an August 2022 ResumeBuilder.com survey, and 5 percent say they do less than they're being paid for. The reasons behind this trend—which has become known as "quiet quitting"—vary, but 8 out of 10 people surveyed by ResumeBuilder.com say they are simply burned out. The good news, however, is that 9 out of 10 people who consider themselves quiet quitters can be persuaded to work to their full potential.
An Age-Old Problem?
Allyn Bailey, executive director of hiring success for San Francisco-based SmartRecruiters, said quiet quitting isn't a new problem. There have always been individuals who don't perform up to their full capacity or capabilities.
"That's a performance issue—a behavior issue—and it's always kind of existed," she said. "What's really happening, and what HR executives need to assess, is their employee population really redefining what the psychological contract is between companies and employees." The crux of the problem, according to Bailey, is that employees are no longer buying into the myth that to be successful they have to subscribe to the "hustle culture and be always available and always 'on' 100 percent of the time."
Wanda Jackson, senior vice president of human resources with the National Urban League based in New York City, said the problem parallels the Great Resignation, in which people...
On September 14, 2026, the Department of Justice announced that Accenture Federal Services, Accenture plc, and Accenture LLP agreed to pay $25 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that ...