People are ‘quiet quitting,’ but their work isn’t disappearing. Here’s how to handle this tricky situation if you’re feeling overworked.

Quiet quitters are getting a lot of attention. Some say they’re brilliant; others say they’re lazy. Maybe they’re normal people who want to work reasonable hours and focus on life outside of their job.

No matter which side of the quiet-quitting debate you’re on — the term began circulating after Insider published a story on “coasting culture” in March — there are still workers who push themselves to produce more than what’s expected.

If you’re among the professionals who are still checked in, you may feel obligated to pick up projects, or you may be assigned extra work. There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for every employee or team. Workloads, personal obligations, and burnout can all play a part in how we’re feeling about our jobs and how hard we work on a given day.

If you’re resentful or frustrated, it’s possible to ask for help. Here are steps you can take if you’re feeling overwhelmed because a coworker or two has quiet-quit.

Let your manager know how much extra work you’re shouldering

Part of quiet quitting’s appeal is that you do just enough work so that you don’t get fired, but you also don’t let your job take over your life. But the projects that quiet quitters may leave when they sign off don’t go away — and they might become someone else’s work. The team still needs to meet its goals, so the work is likely to get redistributed, and more engaged colleagues usually pick up the slack.

Experts say it doesn’t have to be this way.

If you’re feeling the burden of extra work, you should speak up. Erica Keswin, a workplace strategist who wrote the book “Rituals Roadmap,” recommends people approach their managers and, without naming anyone, say something like, “There’s definitely been some challenges with our goals around these deliverables.” Then suggest that the team meet to identify some more effective ways of sharing the workload.

It helps to bring any data that illustrates the extent of the problem. Ebony Joyce, the founder of the consulting agency Next Level Career Services, suggested telling your boss a version of: “In the past X weeks, I’ve produced X much. And this has been going on for X amount of time.”

Earlier in her career, Joyce tried that with her boss when she was so overwhelmed with responsibilities that she was planning to quit. To her surprise, her manager said they could shift some of her tasks to another team that had capacity. Joyce said that conversation taught her that your manager doesn’t always “know what your workload looks like day to day — they just know you’re getting your job done.”

Then again, if your manager shows no inclination to help you manage your workload, you may want to reevaluate your loyalty to the company.

Let your colleagues know about the obstacles you’re facing

If you’re the one considering scaling back your hours or putting less effort than usual into your job, it helps to advise your colleagues so you don’t leave them in the lurch.

Jacinta Jiménez, a psychologist and speaker who wrote the book “The Burnout Fix,” said the “quiet” in quiet quitting “already suggests that you’re not going to communicate while you’re stepping back.” In the short term, your colleagues can become overworked and annoyed with you. In the long term, Jiménez said, that resentment can make it harder to collaborate and brainstorm productively. It can also prompt your colleagues to trust you less, she added.

Jiménez proposed an alternative to quiet quitting that could benefit you and your colleagues. “Don’t be quiet,” she said. “Share how you’re stressed. Ask your team members how to problem-solve. Work together to find solutions to reduce work if possible.” Some of your colleagues might be willing to take on extra work, especially if it will help their career prospects, as long as you ask them ahead of time. The conversation could also be an opportunity to bring up new ideas and workflows.

“It’s not about ‘Either I burn myself out, or I check out and put all the responsibility on the rest of the team,'” Jiménez said. “There can be a nice middle ground.”