The "trend" of "Quiet Quitting" is all over the news right now and it’s absolutely made up by crappy bosses, right along with "nobody wants to work" and "nothing gets done remotely."

This isn’t going to be long rant, but here’s why we know it’s BS:

1. Because nobody is "quitting," unless you mean by "leaving at the end of the day." The alliteration makes it an easy sell to the papers. Nobody who’s actually a worker would come up with that.
2. Because of labor laws. No, seriously, they can’t MAKE you stay after your shift, but they can guilt you into it. Crappy bosses will always overwork and underpay their staff; this is trying to convince you you should let them.
3. Because crappy bosses NEED a narrative that puts people not taking their abuse on anyone but them. That’s why mediocre busybody managers are terrified of remote work rendering them redundant despite productivity going UP (news flash, micromanaging and BS meetings take time away from real work). It’s why "nobody wants to work" has become the anthem of every sleazy manager (people have done their homework and found the ones crying hardest about it are the ones hiring least, no less, but it turns out getting paid what you’re worth is actually a selling point). Calling it "quitting" is putting the onus of ultimately getting fired for not doing extra on the worker. Nobody is "quitting," they are potentially getting fired.
4. Because while it’s "inspired" by the "Lay Flat" movement in China, who’s the authority on that? Is there a "Quiet Quitting Quorum?" No, people are doing what they’ve always done: their jobs. "Lay Flat" as a "movement" in China is driven by a realization that there’s no upward mobility and no reason to try. So already you’re working with two completely different definitions. US workers have known there’s no upward mobility for years already and that doing extra is going to get them nothing, but it’s not being phrased as mobility; it’s being phrased as laziness, which is something your boss is also ever so concerned about despite productivity being high.
5. Because if someone has completely given up on their job, they might be putting in less effort than usual, but that’s while looking for a different one. It’s not something long-term like this is supposed to be.

So in summary, "Quiet Quitting" is a completely manufactured movement that’s just another way crappy bosses are flailing as unions gain power and workers are realizing they drive the economy and maybe deserve better than starvation wages.