Over half of American workers now say they're 'quiet quitting,' poll shows

WASHINGTON (TND) — "Quiet quitting" is the latest phrase buzzing across social media platforms and even at work. While it may be a trendy term, it’s nothing new.

Experts say "quiet quitting" is when an employee is still performing but they’re "not engaged,” doing only what's required in their job description.

Career strategist Julie Bauke says the term is a little deceiving.

“People are setting boundaries, they are doing their job but they are not willing to do someone else’s job or 50% more of their job,” Bauke said.

For nearly 20 years, Mark Bolino has studied the relationship between employees and employers and says it poses a problem for companies.

“We do need people who are willing to kind of go beyond or even do the things that are in their job description at a really high level,” Bolino said.

A new poll from Gallup found that "quiet quitters" make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce.

"Quiet quitting" has been happening for years. Gallup has been tracking worker engagement for years and in 2016, they found that 71% of millenials were not engaged in the workforce back then either.

“Now that we have a talent shortage, it causes workloads to increase because the jobs aren't getting filled and the extra work falls to them,” Bauke said.

It’s an old problem with a new name that some say is an indicator of poor management.

“If they are not going above and beyond for the employee, why would they expect the employee to go above and beyond for them?" Bolino said.

"Quiet quitting" is not just for workers. A new survey founda third of college studentsreport "quiet quitting,"putting their mental health and work-life balance over school work.