Quiet Quitting – Really?

2 min read

I keep hearing this term amongst some of my hiring authorities – Quiet Quitting.

So I investigated and even consulted with my three sons…just what is “Quiet Quitting?”

Turns out, Quiet Quitting is all the rage now on TikTok and other social media platforms. The videos are quite entertaining. It is when a worker quits hustling and going above and beyond at the office. They do what is now only necessary. The minimum to collect their paycheck.

Or is it?

I now recall my college professor reciting Karl Marx (The Communist Manifesto) in the front of the classroom, “Workers of the World Unite, all you have to lose are your chains…”

My personal take on Quiet Quitting is that it is a valid attempt at achieving more work/life balance at the office. Or is it a sign that you’re in the wrong line of work?

Videos carrying the hashtag #QuietQuitting have earned millions of views on TikTok recently with commentary ranging from subtle reminders about the need to set priorities and boundaries that separate our professional life from our personal life to rants against employers who are over-tasking employees to increase productivity…but, wait a minute, yes, this is true, no?

The #1 reason why candidates seek me out to find them a new job is no longer higher pay but because their stingy insurance agency owner’s wife has reduced staff only to significantly increase the workload on those that remain. The rich get richer. No wonder people are now ‘Quiet Quitting.’

Looking at the other side of the same coin, the issue with Quiet Quitting is that you run the risk of becoming more apathetic. Not only do you hate your job more, but you could create a reputation amongst your colleagues and amongst the people that you work with. You could lose the respect of those remaining who are still hustling. Not good. Maybe not. Who really cares, right?

But you could also literally be wasting your time with this company and shooting yourself in the foot in the long run because people with emotional intelligence will pick up on this attitude.

For me, I am not sure why Quiet Quitting has such a negative connotation. It sounds a lot to me like a legitimate reaction against employers now squeezing fewer workers with more work for not a lot more pay – and about creating a work-life balance.

Workers of the World…

Rob