Quiet Quitting: An Employee's Perspective

According to a Gallup study, just 15% of employees are actively engaged at work, which indicates that up to 85% of them may be quietly quitting. Thus, lately, the term "quiet quitting" has gained popularity on social media, which has worried employers. 

Employees are saying "enough" to excessive work and deciding to set boundaries for their welfare. Workers are now more likely to stick to the parameters of their job descriptions rather than go above and beyond if doing so would compromise their mental health.

The Great Resignation of 2021's aftereffects still leaves leaders in a state of shock. Quiet quitting results in annual losses to businesses of up to $1.5 trillion worldwide. So, quiet quitting could be the next major hazard to engagement and stability, and company finances.

Quiet Quitting – The Hazard

An employee who is physically present at work but decides to put in the bare minimum of effort to maintain their employment and continue receiving paychecks is said to have quietly quitted their job. As the phrase indicates, you are giving up on going above and beyond for work rather than resigning completely.

The hustle culture, which suggests that work must be your life and that you must always work and be productive, is the cause of this behavior.

Although it's regarded as an old problem, young professionals' discussions about their tiredness and irritation have recently given rise to the trend on social media. The content posted on social media depicts the viewpoints of workers who entered the labor during tumultuous times, including the blurring of boundaries between home and professional life. 

Some have praised this phenomenon, believing that it is time to normalize practices such as not answering work calls during non-work hours, providing employees with the flexibility they need to adjust their hours, holding employees accountable for output rather than hours spent at their desks, working from home regularly, and avoiding micromanagement.

Signs of Quiet Quitting

Quiet quitting implies a shift in how an employee approaches their work. These signs are noticed in the employees of quiet quitting:

Researchers from Gallup attribute this phenomenon to subpar management, noting that just one in three managers are actively involved. In addition, top managers need to be more adequately prepared to function in the new hybrid workplace, which can eventually lead to staff turnover.

Pros of Quiet Quitting

It's easy to believe that quitting quietly encourages people to be lazy. But unfortunately, that is a common misunderstanding. Quitting quietly, on the other hand, reminds people not to overwork themselves to the point of exhaustion and stress.

Burnout and mental health are two other issues that have come to the forefront since the pandemic, both of which have been exacerbated by employee overwork and fatigue. For years, it has been noticed that Silicon Valley's startup culture is the pinnacle of success. 

It is known for 130-hour workweeks and seen 20-year-olds become billionaires after dropping out of college. Young professionals are being worked to death only to say, "Well, I guess that's the price of success."

But it took a worldwide pandemic to realize how ridiculous everything was. Success is not worth sacrificing one's physical and mental health, family, friends, personal time, etc. Unfortunately, some employers are still unaware of this, and employees are now pushing back. 

It's a timely topic that has been building for a long time, and it took a video app to bring it to light. However, as the trending hashtag gains more views and spreads to other platforms, these employers may reconsider the work/life balance.

Cons of Quiet Quitting

Quiet quitting has apparent disadvantages for both employers and employees.

Employers:

Employees:

The internet remembers as social media has taught us over the last decade. No matter how much you regret them and try to clear the slate, old posts will come back to haunt you. Social media has also evolved into an effective recruiting tool, with 70% of employers conducting candidate profile research during the hiring process. So what message does a quiet resignation send to potential employers?

People are still determining what the future will bring. Quiet quitters may be laid off or change jobs as their careers progress. When employers see the quitters' viral posts, their first impression will be of what these candidates are NOT willing to do to help the company succeed rather than what they are willing to do to help the company succeed. 

As previously stated, employers pushing boundaries cause quiet quitting, but not all employers are guilty. Some companies are sensitive to employee needs and provide a supportive environment with ample work/life balance. 

Any employer is unlikely to extend a job offer to a candidate who makes a poor first impression. Therefore, boundary-setting rants should wait until an offer is received, a work schedule is established, and a two-way conversation can take place.

Every few years, however, a social media trend emerged among the dangerous challenges and choreographed dances that draw attention to a worthy cause. #Quietquitting has achieved this, but only time will tell whether it inspires positive change. 

Until then, it's a candidate's market with more options than in recent years. Employer review sites and company social media pages can help them find the work/life balance they seek while sending a strong message to employers who are still unwilling to provide it.

How To Solve It?

Quiet quitting is the result of two factors: employers who do not understand how to motivate and retain employees and workers who are only thinking tactically about their work-life balance. Working for a company that does not understand how to manage people is always a mistake, as is responding in a way that will jeopardize your long-term career.

Meaningful Communication

According to Gallop, having one meaningful interaction with each employee weekly for 15-20 minutes is adequate to address the issue of quitting quietly. Despite the shifting goals of rolling tasks, employees can nevertheless restore their well-being and sense of self. However, employees must be prepared to talk, and bosses must pay attention.

Clear and Updated Job Description

Frequently, responsibilities change from the initial job definitions. You have effectively invited implicit changes to your description if you perform in the "new" capacity since you will be held accountable for both the new things you do and the ones listed in your job description. 

Instead, have your job description modified to reflect your work more accurately, then adhere to those guidelines. And if a raise is necessary, have the conversation about it or, at the very least, schedule a meeting about it at a later date.

Established Project Schedule

It may seem unusual to create a project schedule for additional duties when you are an employee. However, if you are requested to perform a task that is outside of your purview, agree to do so as though it were a project. 

Make it obvious that you'll return to your regular responsibilities once the "project" is over. The timetable makes sure that you are only working overtime for a certain amount of time.

Fixed Priorities

Establish new priorities if you take on extra duties. To establish priorities, request a meeting with your boss to go over your job description and new additional responsibilities. Inform them of your present priorities and to-do list, as well as which ones you want to complete and when. 

Check to see if they fit your deadlines; if not, ask them to help you re-prioritize! Some of the items on your list may have been transferred to another staff or have lost their importance.

Final Thoughts

A company's high rate of quiet quitting is a sign of poor management and a failure to carry out corporate objectives. This lack of employee competency is expected to cause businesses like Meta and Google, which are well-known for their employee uprisings, to experience escalating difficulties.

In other words, organizations that value their staff are more likely to make good investments, partners, and suppliers. However, they will experience different problems with employee engagement and retention than companies when workers discreetly leave.

Finally, if you are considering quietly leaving your current job because you are so unhappy there, get out your CV and start looking for a job where you have a good work-life balance.

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