From the second half of August, the term "Quiet Quitting" has undergone a considerable surge of research on Google Trends, to become the phenomenon of the moment due to social media. It is important to clarify this issue, also because, in fact, it is a new name for an old collective behavior that cries out help at the top of organizations.

The Act of "Licencing without quitting" refers to a tendency attached to the redefinition of the personal approach towards the work sphere, leaving the intention of work enough without ever doing more than you should.

The term, now increasingly used as a caption of numerous videos on social media, especially TikTok, summarizes a collective refusal to put work at the center of one's life and, therefore, a will to redefine time towards other activities, related to leisure, in order to satisfy personal needs or desires.

Hand data

According to some researchers, the spread of this attitude among people is, in part, a consequence of reflections favoured by pandemic, on the meaning of work and on a series of existential issues. All these conditions would have led to a widespread lack of motivation and enthusiasm, and ultimately to a reduction in work engagement.

According to the report developed by Gallup, data analysis and consulting company, in Italy only on 4% workers are fully involved or enthusiastic about their work: is the lowest percentage among all 38 European countries considered by research. And the overall satisfaction rate in Europe is 14%: the lowest of all 10 areas of the world considered.

Even in the United States, where the level of satisfaction is generally higher than in other areas, there is a marked generational imbalance: In fact, around 54% of those born after 1989 report that they do not feel caught up in their work.

The data analysed by Harvard Business Review, on the other hand, dig even deeper into this situation. Taking into account managerial figures, data indicate that quiet sitting is not so much about the willingness of employees to work more and more creatively, as the poor capacity of managers to build a relationship of trust with their collaborators.

Many people, at some point in their career, worked for a manager who pushed them to leave the job quietly, having experienced the feeling of feeling undervalued and unappreciated. It follows that the quiet quitting can, in this sense, also be understood as a reaction to not well exercised leadership.

A multi-generational phenomenon

Generation Z seems to be the promoter of quiet sitting, as money may not be the most important aspect for them or, at least, would not be comparable to the possibility of having more time to devote to themselves.

Reporting the words of Jingfang Cai L., vice president for the development of the talents of Linkedin, we read: «This young category of workers requires employers to deal with them as people as a whole. And the ability to understand their career path is worth more than a paycheck».

In essence, we are moving further and further away from the American myth of Hustle Culture, that is, of devoting our whole life to work to "do and get more and more".

And, more importantly, is that the Z generation she does not seem to be the only one who thinks of her like that. The "zoomers" simply became promoters of a mood that was already widespread for years among workers of all ages and which until now had hidden behind other important phenomena such as Great Resignation, Burnout or Technostress and which led to considering work with cynicism and apathy.

Trust: a word that can weigh as much as a job

Wanting to resume the analysis carried out by Harvard Business Review, the most important factor is the trust. After analyzing data from over 113,000 managers to identify the main behavior that helps effective leaders balance results with concern for team members, the number one factor was trust. When direct collaborators trust their leader, they also think that the manager cares about them and cares about their wellness.

Research has linked trust to three behaviours:

• One, i.e. having positive reports with all their collaborators, listening sincerely;
• The second element is the consistency, therefore keep what is promised;
• The third and last is the competence. Know your work well and be clear and aware of what you do and what you delegate, communicating clearly.

Building a relationship of trust with all employees greatly reduces the emergence of problems, including the one discussed in this article.

It is easy to blame lazy or demotivated workers, but this research suggests that we look inside ourselves and recognize that people want give their energy, creativity, time and enthusiasm to the organizations and leaders who deserve it.

In conclusion, a reading key of quiet sitting can be that of a demand for awareness by those who have corporate responsibilities to redefine work under a more ethical guise. Basically, now more than ever, there is a need to internalize and implement a honest Good leadership.