A new type of quitting has emerged, and it can cause quite a ruckus. At this point, we’ve all heard of quiet quitting, which is when you do the bare minimum to keep your job. The newest resignation trend has emerged—and it’s the complete opposite of quiet quitting.
Loud quitting is when an employee does everything in their power to undermine the goals of and actively do things that can harm the company they’re currently working for—which is usually the same one they’re about to leave.
Another definition of loud quitting is being actively disengaged from your job and making a fuss at work by acting out and getting coworkers to also do the same.
To put it simply, loud quitting is a twofold act of defiance and revenge.
Peak employee (un)happiness
The trend was first reported by Gallup, an American consulting and data research firm. In their 2023 State of the Global Workplace Report, it was found that 18 percent of the employees that were surveyed are actively disengaging from their jobs.
Jim Harter, the report’s lead author and the chief scientist of workplace management and wellbeing, cites that the reason for loud quitting is closer to the employees than we might be expecting.
“The cause of this loud quitting, or even quiet quitting, is really primarily in how people are managed,” he said.
Employees can have a difficult relationship with management. For formerly performing employees who have decided to loud quit, not being heard, not being given recognition, and lack of proper communication with management are some of the biggest culprits.
Harter describes loud quitting employees as being both emotionally detached and emotionally against the organization—and odds are—they’ll be vocal and proactive about it.
It’s also important to note that while the name of the trend is “loud quitting,” some of the employees who have started their loud quitting proceedings may not have turned in their resignations yet.
“The loud-quitting employees are going to be much, much more likely to take another job pretty quickly if it becomes available, and they won’t need as much money to do that,” Harter explains.
Risks for all parties
The most obvious party at risk when it comes to loud quitting is the organization. Having an employee disrupt internal processes and basically create drama makes it difficult for things to run smoothly. Having an employee post inflammatory remarks about the organization online is an external risk as well.
The next group of people that are going to be affected by loud quitters are their coworkers. Working through disruptions like people leaving their jobs abruptly and theatrically (which is a prevalent fantasy for employees everywhere, in my humble opinion) can severely impact morale and performance.
Finally, the loud quitters themselves are at risk of damaging their careers and professional reputation because of burning bridges.
I mean, going “Gone Girl” in the middle of the project isn’t the most pleasant way to exit anything.
The burden of responsibility
With this—and any—type of resignation, the burden of responsibility falls on management. Engaging employees through meaningful channels and making sure that they’re properly supported in their tasks is one of the primary means to eliminate the possibility of loud quitters developing in your office.
At the end of the day, employees were hired to show up and do the tasks they’re assigned. It’s management’s role to make sure that the employees are doing it to the best of their abilities, and with the support required to execute at an expected level.
If loud quitters start showing up in the office, the people on top may want to take a closer look at their systems and themselves.
