This techie is 'loud-quitting' after being called back to office: 'I've stayed for the paycheck'

The techie said the company not only called employees back to office but was also tracking who was at their desks. (Representational image)

At a time when quiet-quitting is in vogue, a 31-year-old techie from New York says he has been "loud-quitting" ever since his company told its employees to work from the office.

The disgruntled employee, whose name was not revealed, told Business Insider that for him, loud quitting manifests as openly questioning leadership, calling out management, and pushing back against their decisions. "I care about doing quality work, but I don't care about the company's mission," he said.

The solutions engineer said that he company culture when he started working for them five years ago. "Even before the pandemic normalised remote work, the company allowed employees to take a day to work from home if needed. It also celebrated our well-being," he told the publication. "We went fully remote in March 2020, at the start of Covid, and my team was able to adapt so quickly that I was fully sold on working remotely. However, within the last year, they've wanted us to return to the office."

He added that initially, the employees were just encouraged to come in twice a week, but the management recently announced they have to return to the office twice a day and was even tracking who was at their desks. "The morale around the office isn't very high, and employees try to skip out as much as possible because we've already proven that we can complete our work remotely," the techie said.

The techie also noted that the company's culture has changed significantly over the last three years after they were bought by a private equity firm. The move was followed by several rounds of layoffs, hired management, and less transparency about decision-making. This drove away many long-time employees which accelerated the culture change.

"I feel like the administration has been operating with confusion and a general lack of transparency. As a result, I've developed a lack of trust and respect," the New Yorker told Business Insider. He added that he has been loud-quitting since April and has only stayed back because he needs the money until he finds another job.

"I've been planning to find another job for over a year, but I believe my level of experience provides a decent amount of job security. That job security is hard to give up, so I've stayed for the paycheck," he said. "I'll continue loud-quitting until I leave for a better workplace with better company culture."

Read more: 'Quiet quitting' is taking over workplaces. Here's all you need to know about it