Have you ever experienced a situation when someone is right in front of you, yet their mind is a thousand miles away? Maybe it’s a friend lost in their phone while you’re trying to have a meaningful conversation, or a colleague who’s physically present in a meeting but clearly not engaged. Now imagine that same detachment coming from one of your best employees, one who used to bring fresh ideas to the table, one who consistently went the extra mile, not because they had to, but because they truly cared about their work.
While they’re still showing up and attending all the meetings, something has changed. There’s a quiet withdrawal which is hard to pinpoint. They are now doing only the basics. The spark, the energy, the enthusiasm and the sense of ownership are now fading.
This is what many organisations are now calling the “silent resignation.” It’s not an official resignation letter, nor a dramatic exit. It’s a gradual emotional detachment, where employees mentally check out long before they formally leave. Also known as ‘quiet quitting’, silent resignation occurs owing to many reasons.
A study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reveals that 58% of employees quit their jobs due to the toxic work culture. Toxic culture pushes them to escape from their once-happy job, which had slowly taken a toll on their mental health.
What’s Driving it?
Silent disengagement is a growing chasm between employer expectations and employee experience. What leads to silent resignation?
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Burnout and Stress
First and foremost, pandemic-led burnout is a major culprit. The constant digital connectivity and blurred boundaries between personal and professional life are leading to burnout and stress. What’s more concerning is that Gen Z and millennials, who form the backbone of today’s workforce, are more vulnerable. Overexposure to screen time and minimal downtime are ruining their mental health.
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Poor Leadership
At the heart of every enthusiastic and successful team is a competent and empathetic leader. And at the heart of many silent resignations is the absence of one. Good leadership is never about micromanagement, it’s about supporting and trusting the team and helping them visualise the company’s vision. Employees are more likely to stay engaged when their managers communicate well, show empathy, and offer guidance without hovering. But if the leadership is erratic, it discourages the employees, and they eventually stop seeing a future in the company.
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Limited Career Growth
Talented employees love new challenges. When organisations fail to provide them with career pathways or exposure to new roles and responsibilities, employees begin to feel stagnant, as if their development has come to a halt. They choose not to express their frustration as they believe their concerns may go unheard. Therefore, they start looking for better opportunities which could make them explore their horizons and promise them growth and career advancement.
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Lack of Appreciation
Everyone wants to feel seen and valued. Yet a significant percentage of employees say that they want to leave the job as they don’t feel appreciated and recognised for their work. Recognition, whether it comes through formal rewards, verbal acknowledgement or a pat on the back, works as a powerful motivator. Absence of recognition can be demoralising.
When employees aren’t appreciated, they stop offering feedback, participating in discussions, or proposing new ideas. Eventually, their enthusiasm turns into compliance, and then apathy.
What Employers Can Do?
With so much at stake, what’s the solution? What can be done to prevent silent resignation? The antidote lies in intentional and human-centric leadership.
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Lead with Empathy
Leaders who are emotionally intelligent, self-aware, and supportive can make their employees feel valued and motivated. If a leader fails to lead their team with empathy, it simply leads to discouragement. Leaders need to understand that, in today’s workplace, empathy isn’t optional but a necessity to nurture each employee.
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Invest in Employee Well-being
Companies need to understand that mental health resources and flexible working hours are now a necessity. If they fail to prioritise employee well-being, it leads to higher rates of disengagement, especially among high performers. Organisations need to conduct regular wellness check-ins and allow employees to set work boundaries without fear of judgment.
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Cultivate Purpose & Meaning at Work
Employees feel inspired when they get to know that their work contributed in the company’s growth. One of the most effective ways to cultivate this sense is through transparent goal-setting frameworks like Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). These frameworks help in bridging the gap between daily tasks and the broader organisational mission. If employees derive purpose from their work, they find themselves more productive and loyal towards the company.
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Reward and Acknowledge Contributions
An employer doesn’t need to give lavish bonuses or trophies to show appreciation towards their employees. Even a small and consistent act of recognition can have the greatest impact, in fact, more than a trophy. A simple gesture of “thank you”, “keep it up” in a team meeting or an email acknowledging a job well done can do wonders for an employee. It boosts their morale and encourages them to invest more in the company.
Summing Up
Silent resignation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of many small and unmet needs. If organisations focus on purpose, empathy, and people-first policies, they can re-engage talent before it’s too late.
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