Is 'quiet quitting' just a trend? These workers tried it and never looked back

After the "Great Resignation," companies across America and Europe have another post-pandemic phenomenon to worry about: "quiet quitting".

The TikTok craze and social media buzzword has been defined and redefined in countless news articles and opinion pieces. One thing is certain: "quiet quitting" doesn't actually involve resigning from your job – at least, not right away.

Whether it’s mentally checking out from your job and doing the bare minimum to get by, or rejecting the corporate hustle culture and no longer going above and beyond at work, “quiet quitting” has now become something of a rallying cry for a better work-life balance.

The term has a fairly negative, even passive-aggressive connotation. But those who admit to no longer going the extra mile – and the human resources (HR) experts witnessing the trend – say it’s actually positive and healthy that workers are setting clearer boundaries with their jobs.

"I'd prefer people to say that this is ‘rational living’ as opposed to 'quiet quitting,'" Paula Allen, Global Leader of Research at wellbeing services company LifeWorks, told Euronews Next.

"It's being rational: not being irrational and burning yourself out, but it's also not preventing yourself from being your best. It’s about prioritisation, not quitting".

Euronews Next spoke to four workers who admit to trying “quiet quitting” – but who all eventually left their jobs. Here’s what they had to share.

For 31-year-old Londoner Natalie Pearce, “quiet quitting” started when she was working as a lead consultant within an agency and was signed off by her doctor for burnout.

“I’d felt for a long time that I was trying to juggle too many things at once, due to fear that if I didn’t, things would fall apart and my teammates