Quiet quitting and the great resignation have a common cause – dissatisfied workers feel they can't speak up in the workplace

It's not always easy to raise one's hand in the workplace. AnVr/E+ via Getty Images

U.S. workers have been at the forefront of three big trends in recent months.

First there was the “great resignation,” in which record numbers of workers were quitting their jobs. That coincided with a flurry of unionizing efforts at major U.S. companies, including Starbucks and Apple. Most recently, you’ve probably heard about “quiet quitting,” an often-misunderstood phrase that can mean either doing your job’s bare minimum or just not striving to overachieve.