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    Employee quiet quits at his cushy $100K office job for 3.5 years before his managers noticed: 'They say that I'm not making any progress in my career.'

    He's going to get "quiet fired" if he keeps this up for much longer.

    You might be living under a rock if you've never heard of "quiet quitting" in the year of our lord 2026. If you've never heard of it, you've most certainly done it in some work or school situation. Quiet quitting is when you put the bare minimum effort into your position without actually quitting. Some people quiet quit because they want to be laid off, but don't want to quit outright. Others do it because they are so burned out from life, the bare minimum is all they can manage. 

    The #1 rule of quiet quitting is never letting your boss know you're doing it. They should have no suspicion that the amount of effort you're putting in is subpar. If they do, the chances of you getting fired go through the roof. The employee in this story has been quiet quitting for years, and it's taken that long for his managers to notice he's doing it. 

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    • Man is sitting in a chair with his feet on the table and speaking on the phone at loft office
      via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

      Employee goofs off at work, hoping he won't get fired and forced to do a job that actually requires him to give it his all.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • I am 3.5 years into quiet quitting, and they are finally starting to notice

      After a burnout and subsequent dismissal i got a severance and immediately got a new job. In my new job I quiet quit for over 3 years now.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
    • Now management is starting to notice: They say that i look absent and that im not making any progress in my career and that im selling myself short.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
    • Last year i completed one of the most difficult and rigorous post university educational programs in the world o they find it. strange that im not more ambitious i guess. the degree was for 3 things:
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
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    • 1. I only have high school equivalent diploma, this proves that im intelectually capable at a university+ level. (so protects downside) 2. its the gold standard in my industry and carries a high status. 3. the full
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
    • program gets funded by my employer (no student debt) but the title goes on my name and i can take it with me.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
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    • The truth is i dont really like the admin work - the sort of work that feels purposeless. Im also not thrilled working with the people. also that i should be more vocal, because i might have good ideas.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
    • I make about 100k a year which is a little over 2x the median income salary where I live. I also work four days a week max.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
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    • If I only had to work for four days a week to earn $100K, I would definitely do everything I could to stay at that job for as long as humanly possible. If there were the slightest inkling that my boss was unsatisfied with my work, I would do everything in my power to change their mind before it is too late.

    • I dont want to risk going into another job where i may have to do more work.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
    • One thing i try to do is find the 80/20 in everything. E.g. there is a quarterly report i make that if i do well i dont think theyll fire me its about 1 to 1.5 weeks of work per quarter.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
    • Portrait of senior businessman using tablet in front of his modern workplace
      via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

      Employee works on his quarterly report to avoid getting fired for his lack of productivity. 

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • How can i (with minimal effort) make sure that they can't fire me? ps. please reserve your judgement and keep it to yourself as much as you can.
      via u/Lopsided_Ad7994
    • gosumage Understand that you put on a costume, drive to work and do 8 hours of live action role playing for money.
      via u/gosumage
    • Obv10usThrowAvvAy I told my boss about the Peter Principle once and how I'd rather stay effective at my current job instead of working for a promotion to a job where I'd be incompetent. I haven't gotten a promotion in 5 years and we're all pretty happy about it.
      via u/Obv10usThrowAvvAy
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    • buzz 17 This. I don't understand the whole corporate sh where it's like, we want you to succeed and build your skills up so you get a promotion. Like if I wanted a promotion and more work, I would've done it already. I just want to be great at my job and keep at it.
      via u/buzz_17
    • burntneedle "Quiet Quitting" is a term corporations invented to shift responsibility. They did that in order to hide the fact that employers expect workers to perform additional labour without paying workers additional wages.
      via u/burntneedle
    • Illiander "Quiet quitting" is reffered to by everyone not in management as "working my wage"
      via u/Illiander
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    • To be fair, this guy is not working his wage. He is working far below his wage. If he were working his wage, his managers wouldn't have been able to tell that he was quietly quitting, because he'd be doing $100K work.

    • footdragon one trick to quiet quitting is give them your "A game" now and again and then revert back to your "B game". you have to at least demonstrate that you're worthy of that lofty salary. work on your people skills, that is the 2nd trick of quiet quitting. f Iman, I need to start charging you if I reveal all the tricks...
      via u/footdragon
    • inductiononN This won't stop you from getting fired or laid off if that's what they want but it's harder to fire really friendly, charming, nice, helpful, funny people. You don't have to be all of those things and you don't even have to be some of those things a lot. Pick a couple. The easiest to be are really nice and helpful - VISIBLY nice and helpful. Next time someone asks a question or for assistance in teams, slack, whatever, jump in and be super nice and offer to help (and help). Do it st
      via u/inductiononN
    • Don't be cool, aloof, super smart, or aggressively on message or all over things. Nobody likes that. But no one has bad feelings about the really friendly person who is known for making a cute joke occasionally (not a mean joke or one that could get you in trouble). My point is, make your reputation be that person that people have positive feelings about - has nothing to do with work and everything to do with perception.
      via u/inductiononN
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    • This is very solid advice, but it might be too little too late. It's very difficult to change your reputation in the workplace after you've been there for a long time, especially if your poor work overshadows any semblance of a personality that you've got.

    • stonksuper If you make $100k and recognize that you make over double the median income why would you not put in more effort to keep your secure job? Plus coworkers are supportive and want to see you succeed and move up? And you only work 4 days a week? Are you flexing/trolling/humble bragging? You want to trade jobs? I'm genuinely confused
      via u/stonksuper
    • shoulda-known-better Ugh sorry but you are being super dumb You make over 100k and only work 4 days a week..... Yet you are risking your job by quiet quitting!!?? Entitled much??? Hope your silliness doesn't lose you the very sweet gig of a job you have.... Because you will regret the h ll out of it if it does..... Making min wage because it's the only place that is actually hiring will humble you Not sorry about the judgment because you need a reality check.... Most of us would k I for 100k at
      via u/shoulda-known-better

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    Tags

    degree admin quiet quitting manager job lazy work purpose career burnout
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