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Of course, you’ve heard about quiet quitting. This trend has taken over social media and other work forums in the past couple of months. Depending on your company’s work environment, one of your coworkers or even you may have been contemplating whether or not to quiet quit your job. Though many people are saying this is a fake trend, it’s more widespread than you can imagine.
Quiet quitters make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce. Probably more.
Gallup
According to Gallup, approximately 50% of the U.S. workforce is quiet quitting their jobs. Some specialists claim that the beginning of this trend is linked to the Great Resignation and reduced workplace engagement levels. For the second quarter of 2022, the proportion of engagement among the workforce went down to 32%, while actively disengaged workers went up to 18% across the country.
Though quiet quitting is a viral hashtag and ongoing trend with more than 220 million views on Tiktok, the concept itself is nothing new. Actually, several precedents indicate Gen X workers have been practicing it for a long time. But then, why has Gen Z taken over quiet quitting? Is it just for views and reactions on social media, or are there other factors fostering it?
Before discussing the accuracy and possible reasons for this phenomenon, it’s essential to cover the bases. The first thing you should know about this concept is it doesn’t actually mean you have to quit your job. In fact, the idea of quiet quitting is to maintain your position in a company but limit your working hours and activities to what’s on your job description. Nothing more, nothing less.
Many quiet quitters have adopted this trend to respond to the “hustle culture” or the idea that hard work is the only valuable work. While others say it is just a reaction to the overwhelming emotions professionals experience when their expectations don’t match their professional outcomes. Though quiet quitting may give a sensation of a better work-life balance, truth to be told, it won’t change a person’s work schedule, pay rate, or level of satisfaction at their workplace.
Many people may disagree about the correctness or work ethic behind quiet quitting. Definitely, there are more assertive ways of setting boundaries and balancing one’s work-life, but since workers are still performing their job and fulfilling their tasks, can managers take action against their employees?
They sure can, and they’ll probably do it without hesitation: 91% of managers have taken action against quiet quitters, and 75% say it’s justifiable to fire someone for doing the bare minimum. The quiet quitting backlash comes from both managers and employees, but the comeback that’s growing louder is known as quiet firing. This is a passive-aggressive method employers could use to respond to quiet quitting and get people to actually quit their jobs.
This practice is more common than you may think. 1 in 3 employers has admitted to “quiet firing” their workers. Employees in this predicament find themselves responding to adverse work conditions with constructive discharges. This retaliation tactic can result in their responsibilities being pulled, not receiving feedback for improvement during performance reviews, or lacking time, resources, and opportunities.
Several aspects contributed to making quiet quitting this year’s most influential trend. For a start, it has become a way of preventing burnout in employees; for younger generations, the risk of mental and physical exhaustion has grown and due to the lack of information and prevention strategies, many people see quiet quitting as the only burnout recovery method.
Other reasons why many young workers are leaning into quiet quitting include their job conditions and the perception that the workplace has gotten worse for younger employees. As mentioned before, more workers are feeling disengaged from their jobs, and surveys from last year also revealed that 54% of Gen Z workers are considering quitting their job entirely.
Before breaking down some potential solutions, let’s settle that there is no specific chain of events for quiet quitting and quiet firing. In some cases, the workers’ decision to perform just the necessary requirements is a reaction to constructive disposal attempts or discomforting work conditions. Also, there are other situations where there may not be any adverse environment, and employees have just rearranged the priorities of their work life.
In any case, there are more strategic and tactful ways to recover from burnout or improve your job situation than quiet quitting. Here are some actions you can take to avoid quiet quitting tactics:
If you feel you’re about to permanently check out at work, you’re probably thinking of doing it quietly. You want to switch the pace and you think it’s better if no one knows; but what if this isn’t the best way to do it? The very first step you should take to improve your work situation is to speak up about your concerns, personal goals, and other things that would make you more comfortable. You’d be surprised to know how much you can achieve with open communication.
Having a healthy work-life balance and putting in the work shouldn’t be in conflict. You can commit to both working and recovery times. During your work hours, list what you have to get done and find a purpose that keeps you motivated to complete those tasks. And when your workday is off, turn off the notifications and prioritize your mental and physical health by doing things you enjoy.
Usually, burnout employees who are on the verge of checking out from their jobs can bounce back after getting some rest. If you feel frightened about requesting time off from your manager, remember that paid time off and vacations are benefits written in your contract. Breaking the routine is an excellent way to get through the stress and prevent burnout, chronic tension, and other health problems. Time off will also allow you to gain perspective to either return to work recharged or make a choice about your future.
Quiet quitting is far from being the best solution for your professional or personal dissatisfaction. But if neither of the mentioned solutions suit your needs, maybe you should ask yourself if quitting your job or prepping for a career change is a better turnaround for your situation.
Making up your mind about when to quit your job is not easy, and actually deciding to do it may be frightening. Still, if the work conditions you’re in aren’t the ones you’re deserving of, the motivation to make moves toward an opportunity that meets your needs can better be done with thorough planning.
The idea of doing the bare minimum to continue earning may seem attractive, but this won’t contribute to your long-term career goals. You won’t only be quitting on the job, but also giving up on your life commitments. Instead of embracing the quiet quitting mindset, see it as a result of the lack of connection with your job and as a sign that you should try a bolder move.
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