Quiet Quitting? Really?

Photo by Héctor J. Rivas on Unsplash

So, if you’ve read the popular press recently, you’ll have heard about this practice called “quiet quitting” which seems to have entered our vernacular and become a bit of a thing among some folks.

The idea behind it, if you weren’t aware, was not that an employee leaves their job, rather that they limit what they do to only what is strictly in their job description. The point is that they do what they do, don’t go above and beyond and don’t work longer hours. 

Ostensibly, the idea is that quiet quitting is a result of employees reevaluating the role of work in their lives and, accordingly, setting clear boundaries or limits with regards work-life balance.

I say, ostensibly, because I don’t think that’s the whole story.

While, on paper, this can be a good thing - everyone needs to assess their view of work, the role it plays in one’s life, what they’re willing to commit to it relative to their other priorities, etc. - the sense I get of this, at least in terms of how it’s being discussed, is that it’s really the result of declining job satisfaction, burnout and, perhaps more to the point, a lack of direction or commitment to a direction.

Look, there’s no question the pandemic has taken a toll on employees. There’s Zoom burnout. The tussle between WFH and the office. Uncertainties around everyday economics and inflation. People have taken to reassessing what matters to them and how they relate to their work. Nothing wrong with that.

But when that translates into a lack of balance (however we define it) and mentally checking out, that’s a problem. To be specific, that’s not about not going above and beyond, but it’s about not caring for the work you are actually contracted to do. 

I realize that, for many, that’s not where their head is at, but for many others, I suspect it is. It’s their way of getting back at someone or something (management) for the issues they’re dealing with.

And, in my mind, those issues relate to their core search for meaning. What are they about? What do they want out of life and their work, in particular? How does it help them become who they are?

I think these are questions that need to be answered by all of us. 

If your answer is, I don’t get there through my work and I, therefore, use it as my means to an end, that’s 100% fine. In that case, do your work and try and be the best you can be within the limits and boundaries you and your employer have defined. You can still take pride in your work and your output and contribution. Then spend the rest of your time doing what you want. Again, no problem whatsoever.

But when we simply give up and not put our heart into the core standards that we’ve committed to? Then we’re not simply doing wrong by those who are paying us, we’re doing wrong by ourselves. 

That, to me, is the bigger issue at the heart of “quiet quitting”. It’s nothing new - but it does get to issues and questions we need to tackle for ourselves, no matter what we do for a living.