Yes, 'quiet quitting' is real

It's amazing to me that the way I've worked my whole life (Do what you're asked to do, clock out at the end of the day) now has a name, and even a negative connotation. Myself and nearly everyone I know works this way the majority of the time.

It's also about some people do not want a career, they want a job. They want to clock in do their tasks, and check out.

What is also clear is that a surprising amount of companies does not like this, they do not want a person in the same role for years or decades, or as Salesforce founder is known to say "Salesforce is not a company you retire at". While that might sound cool, you really do need people who have been in a department for several years.

That know all of the weird edge case, all the of the legacy systems, knows your customers, and can when asked just fix shit. Especially in Support/Helpdesk.

It's real but it's not new - versions of checking out mentally / being over it / not caring have been around for a long time.

"It isn't rocket science!!"

I remember my first management job. I managed a helpdesk. I had to try and explain to the owners that I needed time to meet with employees, and a very small budget (few $100 a month) to reward them on the most basic level for meeting or exceeding goals (tickets, SLAs).

The owners looked at me like I was from outer space.

What about "quiet firing" - when a company only pays you what they are contracted to pay you and no more? Why isn't this a bigger thing? /s But seriously, if a company wants more work, they should pay more. Employees shouldn't go above and beyond unless their company is doing the same for them.