Understanding Quite Quitting And Its Effect On Work-Life Balance

August 31, 2022

The phrase "quiet quitting" is having a not-so-quiet viral moment. What began as a TikTok trend is now the focus of a contentious argument between companies and employees, with many workers opposing the idea.

Contrary to what the misleading name might imply, quiet quitting is not the same as resigning, doing the bare minimum, or being lax at work, as numerous people have noted. It's more of a strategy to establish boundaries at work and prevent doing extra work outside of one's job description without being fairly compensated.

What exactly is quit quitting?

Quiet Quitting is the polar opposite of Hustle Culture. The great desire to give everything at work is referred to as "hustle culture." Overtime and disregard for one's personal life are unavoidable in order to develop in one's work.

Quiet quitting is when an employee only performs as much as was required by the contract. Just good enough to avoid getting in trouble or being recognized in an unfavorable light. There is no taking on of extra work or projects, nor is there any overtime.

What does it look like?

Quiet quitting, in principle, enables you to lessen your mental and emotional load at work. It speaks more to a mentality shift. In actuality, quiet quitting could look like

• Saying no to assignments that go beyond the boundaries of your job description,

• Coming and leaving work on time rather than arriving early or working late,

• No more overachieving

• Taking your complete lunch break,

• Declining to respond to work-related messages or emails outside of your designated work hours

• Being less committed emotionally

What is causing the current rise in Quiet Quitting?

There are various explanations as to why Quiet Quitting is becoming more popular, but one of the most logical ones is that the pandemic has made employees look expendable to employers despite giving it their all for possibly 15 years.

Being simply let go from a job or transferred to a part-time position does not leave one with a positive attitude and frequently causes one to question whether all the sacrifices made were worthwhile at all or whether it would have been preferable to perform only the barest minimum at work.

The ongoing generational transition is another factor in the rising popularity of quiet quitting. Certain values and ideas are also fading as the baby boomer generation leaves the workforce. Instead, Millennial and Gen Z perspectives are more prevalent than ever. For instance, older generations tend to (consciously or unconsciously) "live to work," whereas younger generations clearly distinguish between work and play and live by the motto "work to live."

Alternatives to Consider Before Quietly Quitting

Although improving work-life balance and mental health are two objectives of quiet quitting, this strategy is not a flawless one that will satisfy all of your needs. Talking to your manager is an alternative to blending into the background and discreetly quitting your job.

Talk to your supervisor

Sometimes your manager is unaware that you are overworking yourself and experiencing burnout until you inform them. Inform your manager of the situation and how you feel about being stressed, overworked, undervalued, etc. You won't be struggling alone since your supervisor will hear you out, and you two might be able to come to an agreement on a solution that better satisfies your needs.

Choosing flexibility

One more choice is to consider increasing your flexibility. We work in different ways now thanks to Covid, which has also made it possible to be more flexible in new ways. Check to see if your employer offers any remote work or hybrid alternatives if being in the office is stressful for you and has an influence on your productivity. In order to better adapt when you can work at your best, ask if there is any flexibility in your working hours if you feel like your days are too long.

Changing job

Earnings stagnate is observed in most cases when employees stay with the company for a long time, while people who change employers more frequently often see their salaries jump considerably. Between 5 and 20%, more salary can come with a change of employer.

Final take on this trend

Some corporate leaders are concerned about the trend's potential impact on productivity. Employers like workers that are efficient and finish their assignments on schedule. But this doesn't translate to working oneself to the bones. In fact, when individuals aren't working themselves to the bone, they have more time for everything else, whether it's spending more time with their families, taking care of their bodies and brains, or just engaging in their favorite pastimes.

We have spent the last two years navigating through numerous lockdowns, so we are aware that burnout is a problem for many people. Many people have been examining what's really essential to them and taking action to set up boundaries between work and life due to a combination of remote work, lockdowns, and being unable to travel abroad for holidays or to visit friends and family. A boundary that seems to have been permanently eroded by our recently established working practices.

The movement for work-life balance isn't going away any time soon, but it now appears differently in the age of the quiet quitting. It's crucial to keep in mind that everyone will respond to burnout treatment in a different way. So, before quitting quietly like everyone else, make sure to weigh all your options.