The phenomenon of ‘Quiet quitting’ rose to prominence around the first quarter of 2020, where many users online began to speak up about the toxic nature of hustle culture and how damaging it can be to the working individual. The topic resurfaced last year due to the desires of working from home (WFH) jobs being popularised. It originated roughly within the United States but quickly grabbed attention across the globe. To explain lightly, ‘quiet quitting’ isn’t about quitting your job, but rather the extra tasks involved to go above and beyond in your role. This is typically seen to impress other higher-ups in companies, however in this day and age, many have recognised that their worth shouldn’t be measured through the amount of labour they exert.
How does quiet quitting work?
Quiet quitters continue to act on their important responsibilities, but they’re less willing to engage in activities known as citizenship behaviours: no more staying late, showing up early, or attending non-mandatory meetings.
With the pandemic brewing an economic downturn, employees are once again struggling with increased workloads, anxiety and childcare woes. The simple answer to why people are “quiet quitting” is their desire to avoid high stress and burnout by taking work/life balance into their own hands.
Essentially, those who are ‘quiet quitting’ regularly emotionally detach themselves from the job and mainly focus on the paycheck that comes with it. It excludes all the extra work that arises way above your pay grade. But why is the act of ‘quiet quitting’ so controversial?
Controversy behind the movement
Society has heavily evolved from hard labour and hustle culture for as long as we can remember. The idea of ‘hard workers’ has been widely glorified throughout many groups such as teams, companies, relationships, etc. The necessity to succeed has been engraved in many like-minded people.
In other people’s eyes, quiet quitting can be viewed as disloyal and defiant due to their personal calmness towards doing a bit of “extra work”. There have been mixed reactions from superiors regarding this trend. Some have understood the outrage, particularly due to the tight labour market of recent years which makes replacing employees difficult. However, others have retaliated by subtly or abruptly letting employees go for “slacking off”. In saying that, quiet quitting shouldn’t be punishable, especially to be manipulated into termination.
But some forget that this notion is literally just doing your job. It’s about setting boundaries and not subscribing to a culture where additional (unpaid) work should be normalised, in sacrifice towards your own well-being.
What can businesses do about quiet quitting?
So how can companies mitigate this problem and work towards a new and healthier future for their company? A 2021 research study revealed that low pay, lack of opportunities for promotion, disrespect at work, childcare issues, lack of flexible hours, and not receiving substantial benefits were the primary reasons behind their quiet quitting motives.
The growing workforce need employers to evaluate how they are fostering employee wellbeing in all its interrelated forms: mental, physical and financial.
While there is only so much you can do as an employer to stop people from leaving the establishment, many leading development consultants advise that managers should examine their own behaviour first. Recognising which employees are potentially resigning is also a careful indicator if a business is in need of improvement. As a superior, a great question to ask yourself is: Is this a problem with my direct reports, or is this a problem with me and my abilities as a leader?
Promote mental wellness
Accessing mental healthcare has never been easier thanks to the large array of online resources and mindfulness apps available in this day and age. With the struggle adapting to a more pandemic-ridden society, stress management training, mental health days and employee assistance programs can go a long way in improving employees’ overall wellbeing.
Create a culture of care
Leading with a culture of care helps to dramatically improve work communication, commitment to diversity and equity, and the recognition of employee needs. Empathy is an important factor when catering to your employees’ wellbeing.
Listen with intent
Understanding individual needs by listening to employees is a good start to addressing the work culture problem at hand. With priorities frequently changing, it’s crucial to stay consist with communication and respond with appropriate support based on the latter. Seeking constructive criticism from employees can reveal strengths and weaknesses in your work culture that will eventually lead to significant company improvement. By addressing employee concerns, it can uncover better means to support and engage your workforce.
Offer financial benefits
With the current economic state of the world, some employees find themselves struggling financially to make ends meet. Employers need to offer comprehensive financial wellness benefits catered towards an employee’s situation. This is so every individual can achieve financial success without the pressures of pursuing above and beyond to reach that target. They can grant tools that assist employees to establish financial goals and other long-term investment plans.
Your job is not you
It is quite evident that there is a rise in mental health crises all over the world currently. With pandemics still present, it’s highly understood why certain individuals ‘quiet quit’ with the idea of protecting themselves from burnout and setting boundaries. Earning money should be configured towards your required role. A job does not define you as a human being and your worth.
Legal advice
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