Get All Access for $5/mo

People Are Starting to Get Really Annoyed by 'Quiet Quitting' What started off as a form of quiet rebellion has now become a insufferable nuisance, a new survey finds.

By Jonathan Small

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In the beginning, there was "quiet quitting." And it was good.

Burned-out Gen Zers and Millennials across the country stopped over-extending themselves at work to take more time for mental health.

The Tik Tok trend then morphed into a series of offshoots, including quiet firing, quiet hiring, and fast quitting.

But now, some in the workforce are starting to say enough is enough. They wish the quiet quitters would just quit already.

A new survey by LLC.org looked at the most annoying coworker habits and found, you guessed it, that quiet quitting was among the most irritating.

More than six-in-ten (62%) find the trend incredibly annoying, with more than half (57%) saying they've recently noticed a colleague who has "quiet quit." Of those, 57% say they've had to take on more work because their colleague decided to do less.

Gen Z and Millennials started quiet quitting, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that Baby Boomers and Gen X are the most fed up with the trend. But a majority of Gen Z and Millennials also disapprove, calling it "anti-work."

Other annoying coworker habits

LLC.org surveyed 1,005 full-time employees across the U.S. Fifty percent of respondents were male, and 50% were female, with an average age of 38.

And boy, were they testy.

A majority of workers (83%) say they work with someone who gets under their skin. According to respondents, 22% say it happens daily, while nearly half (47%) say it happens a few times per week.

Gen Z is the most annoying generation, according to the survey, with 59% of respondents saying Z is the least productive.

In-person coworkers are more annoying than remote coworkers, and mid-level coworkers are the worst of all the tiers (33%).

Other coworker annoyances include: complaining, laziness, arrogance, and interrupting.

And workers' frustrations don't just stop at the way people act—they're also bothered by the way people speak. Here are some of the terms they wouldn't mind being banned forever from the office.

"Quiet quitting" was not on the list, but probably should be.

Jonathan Small

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® VIP

Founder, Write About Now Media

Jonathan Small is an award-winning author, journalist, producer, and podcast host. For 25 years, he has worked as a sought-after storyteller for top media companies such as The New York Times, Hearst, Entrepreneur, and Condé Nast. He has held executive roles at Glamour, Fitness, and Entrepreneur and regularly contributes to The New York Times, TV Guide, Cosmo, Details, Maxim, and Good Housekeeping. He is the former “Jake” advice columnist for Glamour magazine and the “Guy Guru” at Cosmo.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.

Growing a Business

How to Determine The Ideal Length of Your Marketing Emails Your Customers Will Actually Read

Wondering how long your marketing emails should be? Here's what consumers say — so you can send them exactly what they like.

Business News

Y Combinator Helped Launch Reddit, Airbnb and Dropbox. Here's What I Learned From Its Free Startup School.

The famed startup accelerator offers a free course on building a business — and answers five pressing questions for founders.