The hidden dangers of quiet quitting in a cooling job market

Alastair Greener FPSA Generational communication expert, author and President of the PSA UK and Ireland 2026 Published 3 October 2026 · 6 min read

Quiet quitting is getting more expensive because it lasts longer: when jobs are harder to find, disengaged people stay put. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found global engagement fell to 20% in 2025 and put the cost of low engagement at about $10 trillion. Alastair Greener explains why Gen Z are a pressure point and sets out four management-led fixes, starting with real two-way feedback.

Quiet quitting is getting more expensive, and the main reason is that it lasts longer. When jobs are harder to find, people who have switched off stay where they are, so what might have been a short wobble becomes a long stretch. Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found that global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, its lowest level since 2020, and estimated that low engagement cost the world economy about $10 trillion in lost productivity.

Quiet quitting shows up in every age group. What is generational is how it takes place, how quickly it is spotted and what it takes to reverse it.

What is quiet quitting?

Gallup describes it plainly: "Not engaged employees are quietly quitting. They are psychologically unattached to their work and company." They turn up and do what is required, but the energy and the extra effort have gone. That psychological detachment is where the real damage begins.

Why does a cooling job market make quiet quitting last longer?

In a slower job market, people who are disengaged are less able to leave quickly, so the in-between period stretches. That is where the organisational pain intensifies and the costs grow.

The UK job market was noticeably cooler in 2026. ONS figures published on 15 September 2026 put unemployment at 4.9% in May to July 2026, up 0.2 percentage points on the year, and vacancies at 702,000 in June to August, a level not seen outside the pandemic since 2014. Job postings on Indeed were 32% below their February 2020 level, Personnel Today reported in August 2026.

20%of employees worldwide were engaged at work in 2025, the lowest level since 2020Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026

$10 trillionestimated cost of low engagement to the world economy, 9% of GDPGallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026

41%of UK workers receive less feedback than they wantCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

13%of HR managers find commitment easiest to manage among under-25s (52% for 41 to 60 year olds)Generations in the Workplace Study 2023

What does quiet quitting cost an organisation?

Parts of engagement can feel ethereal, but Gallup's $10 trillion estimate shows the cost is real. The visible symptoms are easy to spot: less discretionary effort, slower decisions, less contact with colleagues and less innovation.

The cultural symptoms do more damage. Morale drops because those still engaged feel they are carrying extra weight. Standards blur because "good enough" becomes the unofficial norm. Trust erodes between managers and employees because of assumptions.

Disengagement spreads. McKinsey's survey of 15,366 workers in seven countries including the UK, published in September 2023, described its most disengaged group as "productivity and energy vampires, sucking the motivation out of work and workers around them". This is why leaders who treat quiet quitting as a performance issue alone miss the point. It is an engagement and relationship issue first.

Is quiet quitting a Gen Z problem?

It crosses generations, but Gen Z is a pressure point. In the US, Gallup reported in January 2026 that younger workers had seen the largest drops in engagement since 2020. On Gallup's definitions, the share of Gen Z and younger millennials engaged at work fell by eight points between 2020 and 2025, and that of older millennials by nine, while Baby Boomers saw no change. Our own UK research points the same way. In our Generations in the Workplace Study 2023, 52% of HR managers found commitment easiest to manage in 41 to 60 year olds, against 13% for under-25s.

When I asked in 2023 whether Gen Z were the least engaged generation, the honest answer was that the research had not been that specific. My view is that younger people are more likely to disengage when the relationship infrastructure is weak, especially around feedback, growth and clarity. Feedback shows it most clearly: in our Communication Habits and Preferences 2024 survey, 45% of Gen Z workers prefer weekly performance feedback, and 41% of UK workers receive less feedback than they want.

What can organisations do about quiet quitting?

Table tennis tables and bean bags will not fix this. Engagement is a cultural shift that starts at the top, and these are the four steps I would take.

First, swap tick-box appraisals for real conversations. Annual appraisals do not stop quiet quitting, especially when they are a box-ticking exercise. Regular feedback should be a two-way conversation: ask the right questions, then listen. At a Deloitte event I heard a really positive term for this, "authentic listening". Younger generations want feedback that is specific, timely and tied to development, so ask people directly how often they want feedback and what would make them more engaged.

Second, treat onboarding as a proper introduction to the organisation. In my book, Generationally Speaking, I argue that recruitment and onboarding must be joined up. When the reality of the role does not match the recruitment promise, disengagement begins early, and often quietly. Patrick Quinton-Smith, a coach and early-careers specialist, talked about that gap between promise and reality in Gen Z at work, retention, engagement and the real cost of ignoring it.

Third, focus on people management. Quiet quitting thrives on unclear expectations, inconsistent recognition and the avoidance of difficult conversations. Gallup's work keeps pointing back to the manager, and managers need support too: its 2026 report found manager engagement had dropped by nine points since 2022. Alison Blackler, a neuroscience-informed coach, explained how curiosity and clear communication norms reduce friction in Neuroscience, curiosity and removing workplace drama.

Fourth, redesign work where you can. If roles are overloaded, meaningless or stripped of empowerment, disengagement is a rational response. This is where job crafting, clearer decision rights and visible career pathways really matter.

Quiet quitting is here to stay, and in a cooler labour market it is a problem organisations ignore at their peril. The ones affected least will be those that listen, improve their people management habits and take generational patterns seriously without making assumptions. Our guide to managing five generations at work is a good place to start. What do you think organisations can do to stem the tide of quiet quitting, and do you see it becoming more of a challenge?

Frequently asked questions

What is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting describes employees who stay in their jobs but are psychologically detached from them. Gallup classes them as "not engaged" and says they are "psychologically unattached to their work and company". They usually do what is required and little more, which makes the problem easy to miss.

How much does quiet quitting cost?

Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report estimated that low engagement cost the world economy about $10 trillion in lost productivity in 2025, or 9% of global GDP. Inside an organisation, the cultural costs can be greater: lower morale among colleagues who carry the extra weight, blurred standards and weaker trust between managers and staff.

Is quiet quitting more common in Gen Z?

It appears in every generation, but younger workers are a pressure point. Gallup reported in January 2026 that between 2020 and 2025 the share of US Gen Z and younger millennials engaged at work fell by eight points, and of older millennials by nine, while Baby Boomers saw no change. In our 2023 UK study, 13% of HR managers found commitment easiest to manage among under-25s, against 52% for 41 to 60 year olds.

How can managers reduce quiet quitting?

Replace tick-box appraisals with regular two-way conversations, join up recruitment and onboarding so the job matches the promise, set clear expectations and recognise good work consistently, and redesign overloaded or meaningless roles. In our 2024 survey, 41% of UK workers receive less feedback than they want, so feedback is a good place to start.

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