“Quiet quitting” refers to an employee who quits yet never walks out the door. Rather, they continue to walk in the door. They still show up. They still clock in. They still attend meetings, though with the enthusiasm of a houseplant. Tasks are completed the way a vending machine dispenses snacks—slowly, mechanically and only after repeated prompting.

These individuals often specialize in familiar behaviors:

The “not my job” expert.

The “not my pay grade” philosopher.

The “allergic to teamwork” specialist.

The “physically present, mentally fishing” performer.

You know them. You have seen them. You may even be shielding the rest of your team from them.

According to Gallup, 59 percent of employees are not engaged at work, and another 18 percent are actively disengaged. That means 77 percent of the American workforce is mentally checked out to some degree. The estimated annual cost of this disengagement ranges from $450 billion to $550 billion.

Let that sink in.

The majority of the workforce is sleepwalking through the day. Unfortunately, the PHC profession feels this more acutely than most. Service businesses rely heavily on coordination, communication and trust across departments. And when even one role disengages, the effects ripple outward. 

Dispatchers lose patience with customers. Technicians miss small but critical details. Project managers delay follow-up. Salespeople put off returning calls. Office staff move more slowly and with less care. Over time, leadership becomes frustrated and disconnected, further widening the gap between management and the field.

Boston Consulting Group found that disengagement increases quality defects by more than 40 percent. A separate MIT study revealed that companies with low engagement see customer satisfaction decline at three times the rate of highly engaged organizations.

Despite how often it is blamed on labor shortages, generational differences or frontline performance, quiet quitting is not just a field issue or an office issue. It is a leadership issue. And like most leadership challenges, it can be solved if addressed deliberately.

The solution

High engagement does not happen by accident. It happens when leaders intentionally create conditions where people can bring energy, pride, and ownership to their work.

Here are some practical steps PHC companies can take:

Build a recognition culture: Research from Workhuman and Gallup shows that employees who receive meaningful recognition are four times more likely to be engaged. This is not theoretical; it shows up in daily performance.

Recognize craftsmanship.

Recognize strong customer communication.

Recognize teamwork.

Recognize effort.

People who feel seen give more of themselves.

Address warning signs early and calmly: Quiet quitting rarely begins with bad behavior. It begins with silence.

Watch for withdrawal.

Watch for slower response times.

Watch for reduced eye contact.

Watch for tone changes.

Watch for small mistakes becoming more frequent.

When you notice these signs, sit down with the individual not to reprimand, but to reconnect.

For example, say, “You matter to this team. I’m seeing a change. What’s going on, and how can we help?”

Conversations like this reopen the door to engagement.

Create a cross-department vision: People do not engage with tasks; they engage with purpose.

Help every department understand how their work impacts customers and the business:

When dispatchers understand how tone affects customer loyalty, they show up differently.

When technicians see how communication protects margins, they work differently.

When sales understands how accurate information prevents rework, they operate differently.

When leadership models the culture it wants, the entire organization follows.

Build a coaching environment: A Deloitte study found that organizations with strong coaching cultures achieve 52 percent higher productivity.

Coaching is about setting high standards and equipping people to meet them. Teaching employees how to solve problems, communicate clearly, and think like owners produces measurable returns across safety, quality, and profitability.

Improve department-to-department communication: Disengagement thrives in silence. Engagement grows through clarity.

Companies that establish regular communication rhythms, openly share wins, align expectations, and address challenges collaboratively create environments where employees feel informed and invested. When people understand what is happening and why it matters, pride in their work increases.

The result

When leadership treats engagement as a priority, everything changes:

Technicians take greater pride in their work.

Dispatchers communicate with more warmth.

Sales teams pursue opportunities with renewed energy.

Project managers own outcomes instead of avoiding them.

Office staff take initiative rather than waiting for direction.

Customers notice the difference, too, and the business benefits through higher retention, fewer callbacks, stronger culture and improved revenue.

Gallup reports that highly engaged teams are 81 percent less likely to experience absenteeism and 41 percent less likely to make quality-related mistakes. In the PHC profession, those outcomes directly improve profitability.

Don’t think of engagement as just so much fluff. Engagement is operational fuel.

Quiet quitting fades when leaders create workplaces where people feel valued, supported, and connected to a shared purpose. Teams stop drifting, departments begin collaborating, and momentum builds in ways that cannot be manufactured through policies alone.

At its core, quiet quitting is not about effort. It is about energy, connection, and whether people feel that their work matters. When leadership commits to building a culture of ownership and purpose, those who have quietly disengaged will either re-engage—or decide that the culture is no longer a fit. Either outcome strengthens the organization.

For leaders looking to improve their business, the first question is simple: do your people feel inspired to show up today? The answer reveals far more than any metric on a dashboard.

Frank Favaro is president of ServeCentric Coaching. He helps contractors elevate performance by improving internal and external service. profession. Contact Frank at [email protected].