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The Quiet Quitting Phenomenon: Navigating Work Culture in a Changing World
The Rise of Quiet Quitting
Two years ago, a career planning lecturer in the United States introduced the concept of “quiet quitting,” a work attitude where employees choose neither to leave their company nor to pursue promotions aggressively. This mindset entails completing basic job responsibilities without seeking deeper meaning or fulfillment in work. A 2022–2023 Gallup survey spanning over 160 countries with more than 120,000 participants aged 15 and up revealed that 60% of the global workforce exhibits this attitude, with a staggering estimated cost of $8.8 trillion to businesses worldwide, equivalent to 9% of the global GDP.
A Global Sentiment with Local Nuances
The sentiment towards work varies significantly across regions, with over 62% of workers in East Asia, including Japan, adopting a quiet quitting attitude, surpassing the figures in North America and significantly higher than in Latin America and the Caribbean. In Japan, a survey by Great Place To Work Institute Japan in January 2024 found that 70% of employees chose this path post-employment, prioritizing personal life or feeling unrewarded regardless of their efforts.
