The growing trend of “quiet quitting” could be contributing to the UK’s economic challenges, with new research suggesting that workers are becoming less engaged in their jobs and increasingly unwilling to go beyond their basic responsibilities.
A report from the Resolution Foundation found that employee commitment has declined over the past decade, potentially adding to the country’s persistent productivity problems.
Quiet quitting gained popularity on social media after the pandemic. The term describes employees who continue fulfilling their job requirements but stop taking on extra responsibilities, working beyond their contracted hours or responding to work-related messages outside the office. Instead, they prioritise personal time and work-life balance.
The movement gained traction amid frustrations over demanding workloads, stagnant wages and rising living costs.
Employee Engagement Is Declining
The Resolution Foundation surveyed 4,656 adults and found that the proportion willing to make an extra effort to help their employer fell from 69% in 2015 to 55% in 2025.
The research also revealed that only 63% of respondents considered their jobs interesting, compared with 74% a decade earlier. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction with work has reached its lowest recorded level, with one in four workers saying they are not even fairly satisfied with their roles.
According to the think tank, employees are now less committed to their employers and less personally motivated by work than they were ten years ago.
Researchers believe this shift may have contributed to weak productivity growth, which has struggled since the financial crisis and deteriorated further following the pandemic.
Workers have also become more focused on financial rewards, a development the report describes as understandable given the prolonged stagnation in living standards.
Employers May Need to Rethink the Workplace
Hannah Slaughter, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation, warned that declining employee engagement could have consequences beyond individual workplaces.
She said the trend was concerning for both productivity and labour supply, two important factors in improving living standards in the coming years.
However, the report does not suggest that younger generations have become less willing to work or that employees are generally more reluctant to move between jobs.
Sir John Curtice, professor of politics and co-editor of the report, said employers may need to offer more than simply a job if they want workers to remain fully engaged.
Financially rewarding positions and flexible working hours are increasingly important in encouraging employees to invest in their work.
The findings suggest that quiet quitting may be more than an online workplace trend. As employees reassess their priorities and expectations, businesses could face growing pressure to create working environments that offer fair compensation, flexibility and a stronger sense of purpose.
