‘Loud Quitting’ – A New and More Extreme Trend than ‘Quiet Quitting’ That Employers Should Watch Out For

Have you heard of ‘quiet quitting’? One of the main trends that flooded the labor market last year and caused problems for employers has taken on a new form. Quitting remains in focus, but instead of quietly, this time it is loud!

The so-called ‘loud quitting‘ is a new buzzword that marks a trend spreading across the business scene, and according to a report by the American analytics and consulting firm Gallup on employment status for 2023, as many as 18 percent of surveyed employees worldwide have actively embraced this trend, reports Business Insider. According to the report, so-called ‘loud quitters’ are individuals who are actively unproductive and dissatisfied at work, and unlike ‘quiet quitting’, this trend is much more dangerous and could have far greater consequences for certain companies. Why?

‘Loud quitting’ vs. ‘quiet quitting’

First of all, it is important to clarify the difference between quiet and loud quitting?

Both trends can be attributed to employee frustration which is most often due to feelings of undervaluation, exploitation, or lack of opportunities – especially among younger employees who simply have somewhat different expectations from work and employers.

However, what makes the fundamental difference between these two trends is the way employees want to express their frustration. In quiet quitting, the employee remains employed, although they do so with minimal investment – that is, without putting in extra effort or that sometimes expected one percent more. It could be said that these employees passively-aggressively show their dissatisfaction.

On the other hand, loud quitting is demonstrative and clear. In this case, frustrated employees vent in front of employers, colleagues, and on social media, showing that they are dissatisfied. It often implies openly showing a willingness to find a new job. Sometimes it serves as a negotiation strategy where the employee loudly expresses their complaints with the aim of getting their superiors to offer better conditions.

However, the most important thing is that those who ‘loudly quit’ can actively undermine the employer’s goals and harm the brand when it comes to attracting new employees, says Jim Harter, the chief author of Gallup’s report.

– They are detached from the organization, but also emotionally against the organization, and they will be loud about it. Employees who loudly quit will be much more likely to accept another job very quickly if it becomes available, and they won’t need that much money for it – he explained.

More dangerous than ‘quiet quitting’?

And although many would say that this phenomenon is nothing new, the trend has gained strength as more and more employees feel overwhelmed and stressed. Recent data from LinkedIn revealed that 66 percent of workers feel overwhelmed and undervalued and, consequently, are not personally committed to their work.

Specifically, Gallup, which has been tracking the phenomenon of actively disengaged employees for several years, cites several reasons for the emergence of such a trend: dissatisfaction due to role and compensation misalignment, loss of trust in the employer, but most often it is poor management.

All of this, besides showing that the ‘climate’ in numerous jobs is not blowing in the direction of employees and that something needs to change as younger generations are starting to make up an increasing percentage of the workforce, the fact that there are a total of 18 percent of employees who ‘loudly quit’ and 59 percent who ‘quietly quit’ is not trivial. Namely, Gallup estimates that low employee engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion and accounts for nine percent of global GDP.

Moreover, another reason why this trend could be more dangerous for employers than ‘quiet quitting’ is that those who are louder have a greater impact on other employees. As already mentioned, the spread of frustration within the company, as well as openly showing dissatisfaction outside of it, can not only provoke dissatisfaction among employees who had not thought about it until now but can also seriously harm the company’s brand. And at a time when a company’s brand and reputation are among its strongest assets… it would be worth considering the potential damage that ‘loud quitters’ can cause.