In a world where soft skills increasingly define professional success, the way we train them needs a serious upgrade. Whether you’re a sales rep navigating objections, a manager delivering feedback, or a new hire learning to communicate with confidence—real-life conversation practice is essential.
At Yoodli, we believe the future of soft skills training is here and it’s powered by AIRoleplays.
The Problem: Traditional Roleplays Don’t Scale
Live coaching and roleplays have long been the gold standard for building communication skills. They’re also time-consuming, inconsistent, and hard to scale. Common issues include:
Schedulinglogistics
Uneven feedback
Low psychological safety
No measurement
As companies seek to uplevel communication across larger, more distributed teams, these gaps become critical bottlenecks.
The Solution: Yoodli’s AI Roleplays
Yoodli offer a smarter, scalable way to help individuals practice high-stakes conversations in a private, judgment-free environment. Built with coaching and enablement in mind, our roleplays simulate real-world scenarios, then deliver instant, personalized feedback powered by AI.
How It Works:
Pick a template: Choose from a growing library (e.g., interview prep, outbound discovery, difficult conversation, behavioral interview).
Practice with AI: Speak out loud as if you’re in a real conversation. Yoodli responds in real time, adapting to your answers.
Get feedback instantly: See data on your talk time, filler words, empathy, and clarity. Receive specific coaching tips aligned to your company’s frameworks.
Why This Matters for Enablement and L&D Leaders
Our AI Roleplays are built to address key challenges faced by GTM, enablement, and people teams:
Scalable
Consistent
Make learning easy
Consistent data collection
Whether you’re onboarding 50 reps or rolling out a new messaging framework, AI roleplays can support thousands of learners simultaneously while supporting their learning style and preferences.
Real-World Use Cases
Sales Enablement: Reps practice objection handling, discovery, or pitch delivery before ever facing a customer
Manager Development: New leaders rehearse feedback conversations or performance reviews with AI before doing it live
DEI & Culture Training: Teams roleplay sensitive conversations (e.g., allyship, microaggressions) in a safe, repeatable format
Campus to Corporate: Early-career professionals build real-world communication muscle in a private, low-pressure setting
Why Yoodli is Different
Unlike chat-based simulations or rigid e-learning modules, Yoodli uses live voice and video input, making the practice feel natural. It pairs performance analytics with human-like conversation dynamics – providing both what you said and how you said it.
Our AI is grounded in coaching science and built for real-world application—not just scripted answers.
The Takeaway: AI Roleplays Are the Future and Yoodli Is Leading the Way
Soft skills are no longer “soft”, they make-or-break. Yoodli’s AI Roleplays give individuals the tools to practice, reflect, and grow like never before. And for organizations, they unlock scalable, consistent training that actually moves the needle on performance.
“We’ve been delivering leadership development programs for over 20 years, and for the first time, we’ve seen a 25% increase in management capabilities, including coaching and feedback skills, in just one program cycle [using AI].” – Kris Karauria, COO, BDO Gisborne
BDO Gisborne uses Yoodli AI coaching to scale leadership and manager training, and drive economic development in New Zealand. Through Yoodli, BDO Gisborne achieved a 25% increase in client management capabilities, 100% improvement in participant confidence, and successfully scaled their programs across multiple industries.
Background
BDO Gisborne, part of the international BDO network, has been delivering research-driven leadership development programs for over 20 years. They offer public accounting, tax, and advisory services across 166 countries, with 115,661 professionals in 1,776 offices worldwide.
Within months of implementation, Kris Karauria, COO of BDO Gisborne, saw transformative results. With programs targeting various leadership levels from supervisors to business leaders, they spent eight months building bespoke personas, scenarios, and rubrics. Now, they use Yoodli daily empowering leaders across New Zealand in multiple sectors to drive economic growth in the face of uncertainty.
The Problem
BDO Gisborne faced the following challenges:
Desire to scale leadership and coaching programs without sacrificing quality
Providing metrics around behavior improvements
Giving their clients the opportunity to practice their skills in a safe environment
Previously, BDO Gisborne spent significant time and resources developing tailored leadership programs. They wanted to scale these successful programs while maintaining quality and preserving their valuable intellectual property.
The Solution
BDO Gisborne partnered with Yoodli to create a series of AI-enhanced leadership development programs. With Yoodli, BDO Gisborne:
Developed multiple AI personas to test management skills across various scenarios
Easily were able to integrate the AI technology with existing proven programs
Provided a platform for users to practice, measure, and improve their skills asynchronously
Scaled their work while focusing on program impact
“Yoodli has provided the perfect platform for clients to practice what we teach them and improve their capabilities. The feedback it provides is invaluable to improve behaviors.” – Pete Jarratt, Executive Coach, BDO
Cultural Shift
The implementation of Yoodli has transformed the learning culture at BDO Gisborne and its client organizations. Participants now have unlimited access to practice their leadership skills in a private, judgment-free environment.
Kris shared: “We now have multiple personas, rubrics and scenarios that we can use to suit most situations. The learning curve is flattened for the user and we have dramatically increased the opportunity to monitor and embed individual development.”
The Outcome
Yoodli has been a game-changer for BDO Gisborne. After implementation, the team saw:
A 25% increase in the participants management capabilities, including coaching and giving feedback
100% of participants reported improved confidence
Successfully scaled programs without compromising quality across multiple industries, including horticulture, forestry, engineering, and accountancy
Increased competency and capability levels across various sectors, contributing to regional economic growth
Business leaders, upon seeing the impact on their staff, opted to complete the program themselves
“In New Zealand we have been hit hard by weather events and global economic pressures. After collaborating with various industry players, it was obvious that we need to invest in our people and prepare them for a future of constant change. The program offered by BDO Gisborne has already made a big impact on this and we are excited about the future.” – Karen Fenn, Business Growth Advisor, Trust Tairawhiti
People who are unhappy with their jobs often end up leaving their position and company. For others however, quiet quitting is a more manageable option.
If you’re unfamiliar with quiet quitting, you’re not alone. We’ll give you the rundown on what it is, how it manifests, why it happens, and what you can do as an employer.
What Is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting is the concept of just meeting the requirements of their job description instead of going exceeding or going above and beyond. People who are quiet quitting do the bare minimum for what their role entails.
Keep in mind that it’s a bit of a misnomer, since the person quiet quitting isn’t actually quitting their job. However, someone who is a quiet quitter doesn’t attend meetings that aren’t mandatory, plan to stay late, come in early, or otherwise “go the extra mile” like many managers and senior leaders expect them to.
Quiet quitting was influenced by a Chinese term meaning “lay flat” (often accompanied with the hashtag #TangPing). Employees began to use this hashtag to object to the normalization of the overworking culture in China.
The COVID-19 pandemic also encouraged people in the workforce to question their work habits.
Although it’s primarily in reference to working, the phrase has also been adapted to relationships and marriages.
The phrase gained popularity on social media platforms, particularly during the early 2020s. An engineer on TikTok, Zaid Khan, posted a video describing quiet quitting and the reasoning behind it.
“You’re not outright quitting your job but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond,” Khan says in the video. “You’re no longer subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality that work has to be your life. The reality is it’s not, and your worth as a person is not defined by your labor.”
Zaid Khan, an engineer on Tiktok, speaks on quiet quitting.
Many employers see quiet quitting as a significant problem, citing the fact that many positions in the workforce warrant “extra effort” to meet the needs of customers and work with colleagues.
What percentage of employees are quiet quitting?
About 50% of the workforce in the United States are quiet quitting, according to Gallup. In fact, the number is likely even higher.
Quiet quitting vs. loud quitting
There’s a pretty significant difference between quiet quitting and loud quitting. While people who engage in quiet quitting are still meeting expectations and doing their job, staffers who participate in loud quitting are extremely vocal about how unhappy they are.
For example, someone who engages in loud quitting will openly talk about changes that need to happen and how they’re ready to move on to new opportunities. On the other hand, a quiet quitter will simply keep their head down and continue to meet the requirements of their job.
Quick quitting vs. quiet quitting
While quiet quitting is relative to an employee doing the bare minimum for their position, quick quitting is when an employee stays at a company for less than a year. This can happen for a number of reasons, but it’s most often job dissatisfaction.
Quiet firing
Quiet firing, on the other hand, is a phenomenon in upper management or senior leadership levels where the manager attempts to tactfully get their employee to quit without the manager having to fire them. This often happens when an employer doesn’t want to directly fire an employee or have to offer a severance package.
Give the employee extraordinarily difficult or unwanted tasks and projects
Decrease the number of hours they’re allowed to work
Removing any and all chances for the employee to grow or advance in position
It’s not OK for a company to participate in quiet firing, as it’s unethical and only happens in toxic work environments.
Signs of Quiet Quitting
This phenomenon can manifest differently depending on the position, the industry, and the employee.
Generally though, there are some common signs of quiet quitting, like not:
Showing up to work early
Picking up extra tasks or projects
Looking to expand their responsibilities
Attending meetings that aren’t considered mandatory
Participating in meetings
Replying to work emails if it’s outside of the employee’s work hours
Staying late or after hours
Another common sign of quiet quitting is isolation, particularly a separation from the team through things like not attending team social outings. This also involves taking more sick time.
What Triggers Quiet Quitting?
There are many things that can trigger quiet quitting amongst employees. For example, one reason is unfair treatment at work.
One of the biggest triggers of quiet quitting is an unrealistic, unmanageable workload. This is common amongst companies that are understaffed or simply have impractical expectations for their employees.
Another common trigger for quiet quitting is the push for returning to the office. The shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic forever changed the labor landscape. Employees realized they could be just as productive at home and could cut work-related costs, like travel expenses.
As such, a forced return to an in-person office — as companies like Google, Amazon, and JPMorgan have ordered — has been a huge pain point for employees.
The upper management and senior leadership teams can also trigger quiet quitting. For example, a lack of communication from leaders higher up in the company can lead to confusion and discontent in the workplace. Employees often report that those in upper management or senior leadership don’t provide nearly enough appreciation or support for staffers.
Quiet Quitting and Burnout
Quiet quitting is directly tied to employee burnout. Burnout — the feeling of being extremely overworked and stressed — leads to the urge to do only what’s required and nothing more than that.
Essentially, quiet quitting is a remedy of sorts to burnout. It’s a coping mechanism for unrealistic expectations at work.
Bare minimum Monday
Bare minimum Monday is another workplace trend in which every Monday in particular, employees do the bare minimum of what’s required of them. They may do more work throughout the week, but Monday is for the bare minimum.
Trends like bare minimum Monday help rid workers of the “Sunday scaries” — the anxiety and stress often felt on Sunday nights — while also helping them feel less overwhelmed at the beginning of the week.
Quiet Quitting and Gen Z
Younger employees — particularly gen Z and younger millennial staffers — have embraced quiet quitting. The reason? Both employee satisfaction and engagement have decreased significantly due to a lack of opportunities for growth and not feeling valuable to employers.
Still, that doesn’t mean only gen Z and millennials are the only ones quiet quitting. In fact, this phenomenon extends to all generations; it’s just more common in younger workers.
How to Prepare for a New Job
If you’re in a position where you find yourself quiet quitting, it might be time for a new job. If that’s the case, there’s no need to stress. Here are TK ways to prepare for a new job.
1. Check out available positions that you’re interested in
When you’re unhappy with your job, it can take all the fun out of doing the things you love. Try searching local job boards and sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter to see if there are any listings that interest you.
Be sure to check the company’s ratings on sites like Glassdoor. This can save you from applying to companies with a lower employee satisfaction rate. Focus on the brands that have great ratings and good reviews.
2. Brush up on your interview and impromptu speaking skills.
It’s a good idea to brush up on your interview and impromptu speaking skills before tackling any actual interviews. Even if you feel totally confident, it’s still a better idea to put a little practice in.
You can do this through Yoodli, an AI interview coach and simulator. Although Yoodli has a lot of uses, one of the best tools for quiet quitters is its interview simulator.
Yoodli will prompt you with various interview questions — either selected from Yoodli’s existing interview question base or inputted by you — while also recording and analyzing your response. For example, Yoodli can tell you if you’re speaking too fast, if you use too many filler words, and if you accidentally use non-inclusive language, among many other things.
You can improve the way you speak and boost your confidence by checking out the provided metrics and implementing Yoodli’s actionable suggestions in your own interviews. This interview simulator also uses generative AI to provide insightful follow-up questions, too.
You can learn more about it below:
People quiet quitting who are looking for a job can use Yoodli to help their job search.
3. Be sure to ask about the company culture in interviews.
One thing applicants often don’t think about is company culture. In your interviews, make sure you ask the interviewers questions about what the company is like to avoid a toxic work environment.
For example, you can ask questions to gauge whether or not the company could be a toxic workplace by asking things like:
How would you describe the office culture?
What protections and processes exist to create a safe space for honesty and employee feedback without risk of retaliation?
How do you give employees feedback?
Can you tell me a little bit about this company’s commitment to DEIB and how it manifests in corporate priorities?
Can you give me a couple of names and contact information for current employees who can share a deeper understanding of their experience at this workplace?
For Employers: Facing Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting happens because of a lack of inadequate management.
If your employees are quiet quitting, here are six things to do to improve both their situation and yours.
1. If you’re in senior leadership, check in with managers. It’s not just the younger generation who aren’t as engaged anymore. In fact, engagement levels among managers are decreasing, too.
2. Managers need to improve their management capabilities. Senior leaders don’t necessarily see employees as individuals like managers do. That’s because typically, those in senior leadership only work with managers and others above a managerial level. As such, managers need to step up and have meaningful conversations with their team to address issues like burnout. Research shows that in order for managers to be successful as a team leader, they need to have at least one sincere conversation every week for around 15 to 30 minutes, according to Gallup.
This should go beyond a typical one-on-one where a manager might walk their employee through new tasks, upcoming projects, and the works. The conversation should be meaningful.
3. Senior leaders and managers must collaborate with HR to improve company culture. When a business has a positive company culture, its staffers feel appreciated and are more motivated to exceed expectations. Employees want to feel like they have purpose.
4. Identify and openly recognize the achievements of your staff. Celebrating these accomplishments, big and small, can further help employees feel like they matter. These achievements should also be rewarded in one way or another.
5. Respect the boundaries of your employees. For example, if an employee says they don’t want to answer work emails or messages after hours, don’t push back on this. Accept their boundary and respect it.
6. Listen to employee feedback, even if they tell you something you don’t want to hear. One of the biggest complaints from employees is that their manager or supervisor doesn’t listen to them. For example, if an employee offers constructive criticism on the way you manage them, listen and comprehend this feedback so you can make a change.
Quiet Quitting FAQs
There are quite a few frequently asked questions about quiet quitting, but three of the most critical questions to consider are:
Will I get fired for quiet quitting?
Is quiet quitting a work-life balance?
Is it OK to quit without a job lined up?
Will I get fired for quiet quitting?
It depends. Some of the factors that affect whether or not you’ll get fired for quiet quitting include things like:
What industry you work in
What your role is and what it entails
The current quality of your work
The needs of the company
Who your employer is
If you’re considered an “at-will” employee, chances are, yes, you could be fired for quiet quitting.
Is quiet quitting a work-life balance?
The majority of people do seem to hold the opinion that quiet quitting is a work-life balance. About 57% of quiet quitters say the practice of sticking to the essentials of the job has improved their work-life balance.
The number is even higher for those who have children younger than 18 years old.
Is it OK to quit without a job lined up?
It depends. There’s nothing wrong with quitting a job even if you don’t have another position lined up. This is especially true if you work in a toxic work environment.
There will always be risks to quitting without a job lined up, but for a lot of people, quitting is still worth it.
When you’re quiet quitting or otherwise unhappy with your job, it can take a very serious toll on your mental health. If that’s the case, quitting is a good option to have, especially if the position or company no longer serves you.
The Bottom Line
As quiet quitting becomes more and more popular, employees and employers alike are taking a deep dive into the phrase and its meaning (perhaps for different reasons).
If you’re a quiet quitter, it may be time for a new job. Once you’ve started applying, don’t forget to practice with a speech coach app like Yoodli to best prepare.
On the other hand, if you’re an employer, it doesn’t seem like quiet quitting is going away any time soon. To best mitigate this, aim to improve your company’s culture and ensure you listen to employee feedback instead of letting it go in one ear and out the other.