A growing trend of employees doing only the bare minimum at work, known as "quiet quitting," may be contributing to the UK's economic slowdown, according to new analysis. The Resolution Foundation think tank has found that British workers have become less engaged with their jobs over the past decade and are less willing to put in extra effort.
Productivity Puzzle
The report suggests that this decline in engagement could partly explain the slump in productivity since the pandemic. "This is self-evidently bad for workers, but it also doesn't bode well for productivity and labour supply, both of which are vital for lifting living standards in the years ahead," said Hannah Slaughter, principal economist at the Resolution Foundation.
Quiet quitting gained popularity on social media shortly after the pandemic. Frustrated by high demands, low pay, and a squeeze on living standards, many online posts encouraged workers to do only what their bosses asked and nothing more. The idea is to focus on work-life balance and "acting your wage," rather than going above and beyond.
Survey Findings
The Resolution Foundation's survey of 4,656 adults reveals a significant shift in attitudes. The percentage of workers willing to go the extra mile for their employer has fallen from 69% in 2015 to 55% in 2025. Meanwhile, the proportion of workers who are not even "fairly" satisfied with their roles has dropped to one in four, the lowest level on record. Additionally, workers are less likely than they were a decade ago to say they have an interesting job, with 63% saying so, down from 74%.
"Workers today are indeed a little less committed to their employers, and a little less intrinsically drawn to work in general, than workers were a decade ago," the report noted. This shift may have contributed to weak productivity growth, which has slowed since the financial crisis and weakened further after the pandemic.
Pay and Flexibility
The report also found that workers are more focused on pay than in the past, which it called "perhaps unsurprising... given the flatlining living standards of the past decade." Sir John Curtice, politics professor and co-editor of the report, cautioned that the analysis does not mean young people have "become more 'work-shy', nor have workers in general become more reluctant to change jobs." However, he added: "But if workers are to be fully engaged in their work, it has seemingly become more important for employers to provide jobs that are both financially rewarding and have flexible work hours."
The findings come amid ongoing debates about the future of work, with many employees seeking greater flexibility and better pay. As the UK economy continues to grapple with productivity challenges, the quiet quitting trend may be a symptom of deeper issues in the labor market.
