Career Resilience and the Limitations of Quiet-Quitting in Mike Judge's Office Space

This article examines the limitations of quiet-quitting in the American cult comedy Office Space (dir. Mike Judge 1999). It argues that the representations of workers in the film suggest that workers who quietly-quit may run the risk of marginalization and ostracization in the workplace as such actions can affect the performances and morale of fellow colleagues. The significance of this article lies in showing how Office Space functions not only as an allegory of workers’ dissatisfaction in a toxic workplace. It also functions as a cautionary tale regarding the limitations of quiet-quitting as a long-term strategy to cope with work dissatisfaction. Lastly, the analysis offers a humanities approach and contribution to the thinking of a more healthy and productive work environment by analyzing the representations and limitations of quiet-quitting in cinema.