World of HR: 45% of workers in Japan say they are quiet quitting

Bare minimum Mondays. Tired Tuesdays. Weak Wednesdays. Employees may show up and get their work done, but a growing number aren’t going above and beyond.

Where in the world? Japan has historically had such a profound work ethic that residents struggle with being overworked, depressed, and not having enough time for their personal lives. However, some (mainly younger) workers in the country are actively pushing back against this cultural norm, and turning to quiet quitting. Roughly 45% of workers in Japan engage in quiet quitting, according to a survey from Mynavi, a recruitment agency. The term,officially coined in 2022, is not a new trend, but workers increasingly adopted it during the strong post-Covid job market, HR Brew previously reported.

Respondents said they were “satisfied” with the quiet-quitting approach and plan to continue the practice. Workers said they do the basics required for their jobs for various reasons, but cite wanting a better work-life balance or feeling indifferent about their career path as prime reasons for losing motivation at work.

“We can see that ‘quiet quitting’ is becoming the new norm,” Akari Asahina, a researcher at the Mynavi Career Research Lab, told the Japan Times. “As values are becoming more diverse, it’s important for companies to accept the diverse values of individuals and offer flexible work styles that fit them.”

Typically, workplace culture in Japan focuses heavily on teamwork success over individual success, so 32% of respondents said they believe that quiet quitting hurts the organization.

Satellite view. While employers in the US may benefit from lower quit rates, workers (65%) feel “stuck” in their current jobs, according to data from Glassdoor. Those feelings can fuel resentment, leading to more quiet quitting as an act of resistance. For now, employee engagement in the US is at a 10-year low, as workers and employers alike grapple with an uncertain economy.

“I think [satisfaction] will start to stabilize when organizations start realizing that they’ve got to adjust how they manage people so that they’re in touch with them more often, so they build more predictability into their environment,” Jim Harter, chief scientist for workplace management and well-being at Gallup, told HR Brew earlier this year.

If you do the bare minimum for long enough, the bar may get lowered to Barely-out-of-bed Mondays.