Quiet Quitting, Resenteeism and Other Forms of Disengagement: What Are the Answers for Nurses?

Disengagement in the workplace can occur when people feel or experience a lack of connection or negative attitudes towards their work, their colleagues and/or their employers. Discretionary work, or the extra effort given by people in the workplace to go beyond the basic requirements of their position, is an expectation of many employers. Organisations often depend on employees undertaking discretionary work; disengaged employees, however, tend to do only what is necessary in the workplace. In nursing, such disengagement can negatively impact patients, families, multidisciplinary teams, services, organisations and communities. In this editorial, we discuss workplace disengagement, including what it is and why it occurs. We conclude by considering options for addressing disengagement in nursing.