20 of March, 2025

The methods of work have changed in recent years, altering the way the worker relates to the job. In many cases, when companies fail to adapt to these improvements, what is known as silent resignation can occur.

The causes of which are many. To help you, this article explains how to avoid silent resignation among your employees. If you want to know more, don’t miss everything we have to tell you!

What is silent resignation

The concept of silent resignation or quiet quitting refers to a situation where the worker wants to improve his work conditions or find a balance between personal and work life, without failing to perform his duties.

This poses a huge threat to companies, as the employee does not verbally express his intention to resign, but all his actions and behaviors reveal a lack of commitment to the organization and its objectives.

Some signs showing silent resignation are:

A deterioration in the quality of work.
Lack of motivation.
An increase in errors.
The decrease in work productivity.
Lack of participation in both projects and meetings.

All of this leads to a series of negative consequences such as:

A lower job performance.
A more tense and demotivated work environment.
Affects the image and reputation of the company.
Increases staff turnover.

Silent resignation is harmful to companies and involves greater involvement from HR, to make the experience of being able to work in your organization unique. It should be borne in mind that now not only the company chooses the employee, but also the other way around, so it will be necessary to take good care of them.

Causes of employees’ silent resignation

Silent resignation, why does it occur? When an employee opts for it, it is usually because he has reached a limit, what is known as “being burned out”. This usually happens when experiencing a burnout syndrome or a certain wear and tear.

Among its causes are the following reasons:

Lack of recognition. When a worker does not feel valued by the company, his performance will decrease.
A salary or benefits that do not satisfy them or they consider insufficient.
There are no opportunities for professional development.
There is an overload or excess of workload that affects the balance between it and personal life.
Partial absence or total lack of effective communication and transparency.
Conflicts between staff or with superiors.
Hostile work environment.
Lack of challenges that motivate him in his job.
Absence of support and of the necessary resources to carry out the tasks assigned.
When there is no alignment with the organization’s values or culture.
Job insecurity or fear of lack of stability.
When they are not given the option to make decisions.
Working overtime or lack of conciliation.
Work presenteeism.

All these facts generate an unfavorable work climate and have certain consequences like an increased feeling of exhaustion or stress, that end in the silent resignation.

Consequences of the silent resignation

Beyond the lack of motivation, the loss of interest or commitment and less productivity, the main consequence is a huge resignation in the company. This phenomenon is the result of the accumulated weariness due to all the workload and the consequences that stress and anxiety can have.

On many occasions, people resign with the purpose of seeking a different path in which to unite work and personal life.

Tips to avoid a silent resignation

But how to avoid the silent resignation of our company’s employees? If your organization wants to learn how to retain talent and have a staff committed to the organization, follow these tips:

Good planning and proactivity

Planning things allows you to anticipate the consequences they may have. It also avoids overloading employees and recognizes when any of them is unhappy or disheartened. In this way, a possible silent resignation is recognized in advance.

Greater job flexibility

It is one of the essential factors to avoid the silent resignation in the company and, therefore, the loss of talent. Thus, a flexible schedule for entry and exit allows parents to reconcile work and personal life. All of this implies an improvement in productivity.

We must understand that each person is different, so some can be productive in the morning and others more in the afternoon.

Meaningful work

It is essential that the employee feels that it is worth carrying out his duties. If this does not happen, it is very likely that he will fall into a silent resignation.

On the other hand, having a thankful leader who recognizes good work is one of the most important values, since the staff will feel loved and valued. If not, demotivation will set in among the staff members.

Promote the culture of wellbeing

Or in other words, those positive actions carried out by the organization, like the team building, and certain habits of disconnection. Among them are asking employees not to send work messages outside of working hours.

These goals should be conscious and help to truly disconnect from work, as this improves talent retention, preventing silent resignation.

Good communication

Internal communication must be honest, linear and clear to be effective. All members of an organization must be considered in it. If carried out correctly, this is a fundamental action to feel part of the group and feel fulfilled.

Implementing all these tips in your organization can be crucial to prevent the silent resignation of your employees. Want to know more? Visit our blog, where you will find all kinds of information on this subject. We are your reference HR software!

Professional with over 20 years of extensive experience in various areas of Human Resources (Recruitment, Training, Occupational Risk Prevention, and Personnel Management). Experience in the Management Department: Broad understanding of the company and HR.

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cristinamartin

HR Content Specialist

Tips for managing silent resignation of employees from HR.