It has come to my attention that the only thing that spreads faster than wildfire, a pandemic, and Gen-Z slang are TikTok trends. Mainly through hashtags. One that kicked up a storm and created a din and racket was #QuietQuitting.
In July 2022, a US-based engineer: Zaid Khan, took to TikTok to ruffle quite a few feathers. He used a video with a voiceover to explain quiet quitting, how it is all about taking a healthy step back from the hustle-culture mentality which says that work has to consume your life and that the amount of labour you do does not get to make the call about your worth. These are all pretty valid points.
The message set off a chain reaction across TikTok, which was of course soon accompanied by trending hashtags. This TikTok discourse had many millennials confused. Because in their head, this was just a fancy term that explained drawing a line between work and personal life.
However, this term should not be dismissed. The reason why we are sitting here, reading about it in 2023 is because it is more than just a mere fancy term that became a trend and then became a concept with layers and nuances.
Clearing the uncertainty
What exactly is quiet quitting? At first glance, your all-knowing brain would assume you know what it means. However, do not forget that the English language works in surprising ways. No, it is not about a disgruntled workforce making an exit through the backdoor. It is also not about them disappearing through a portal, in stealth mode. What you think you may know about quiet quitting is only the literal meaning. The figurative meaning is far from it. While my linguistically hard-wired brain is itching to go on a tangent and present to you about the coining of the term, I will rein in that desire to give you an insight into why this has become quite a grave issue.
Quiet quitting is when employees stop making an effort to go that extra mile for their employer or the workplace and decide to do just the bare minimum. Simply, while in the office you may be physically present and logged into a computer; psychologically, you disengage from work and log off from your brain. This may involve doing anything from zoning out to making up fake scenarios in your head but continuing to “work”.
However, it gets more serious than this. Once your brain goes off rail, the employees lose track of what their work is and why doing it matters. Furthermore, they sever any bonds with their coworkers, bosses, and their organisations. They become an isolated entity, by choice. This might also extend to them not voicing opinions in meetings, refusing to volunteer for tasks and working overtime. The worst-case scenario of such closeting could be absenteeism.
Interestingly, various definitions painted this concept in different lights. Some attached to it a positive connotation, and some called it out as negative and harmful. Why don’t we embark on a read-up that will provide you with enough information to arrive at your own conclusion.
Where did the quiet quitting energy come from?
I feel like the common answer to every question asked these days is Gen Z a.k.a those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s. With a little bit of digging, experts were able to get to the bottom of things and it appears that this energy was being emanated by the younger generation. But the source of this decision goes further than a mere youthful impulse. While the ‘who’ behind this turnover might have been Gen-Zs, the ‘why’ behind it seems to bear actual weight.
Surveys done on this posit that as an aftermath of COVID-19, younger employees feel ostracised in terms of being cared for and being given opportunities. They firmly believe that they were snatched off of chances that would have helped them grow. To put a numerical value on this energy, quiet quitting makes up for at least 50% of the U.S. workforce alone.
The employees are seeking to strike a balance between work and life where they are only willing to give as much as they get and not a morsel more. Many hold poor management accountable for such behaviour. Additionally, most employees seem discouraged by the return they are getting for the amount of work that they are putting in. Some say that they are not getting compensated adequately; financially and emotionally. For example, a simple ‘good job’ could go a long way in an employee’s book.
While the pandemic may have been a driving factor that amplified the disdain that the younger generation had towards the working culture of many countries, it looks like this was long coming. Now that they are re-assessing the way that most 9 to 5 jobs function, they are perhaps seeing an uglier side of it.
Is quiet quitting real or is it done for the vibes?
Some believe that quiet quitters are just riding the bandwagon and some others strongly oppose such a take. However, whether quiet quitting is real or superficial is a question that is difficult to answer. This topic is being widely spoken of on TikTok and traditional media, which illustrates that it is perhaps real enough. Some are of the opinion that this was something that already existed but became publicly known because it was acknowledged, given recognition, and also baptised.
For all that matters here is what I think.
Quiet quitting as a trend? Really, in this economy? I believe that the financial conditions that economies all around are experiencing make it difficult for anyone to risk losing their job. Most do not have that luxury.
Therefore the argument that quiet quitting is a trend can prove to be implausible. Quiet quitting appears to be a discrete but quite pervasive phenomenon that is taking over the dynamics of the modern workplace.
All this conversation makes one thing clear. It is that both sides, the employee and the employer, need to grab a chair or two, sit down and have a transparent conversation. They need to understand each other’s roles to arrive at an agreement. From the employers’ end, it is vital that they create a workplace culture where employees feel valued, included, and not bossed over. From the employees’ side, they should not be disillusioned or disengaged without a reason just because quiet quitting is seen as a trend. Giving the silent treatment is so yesterday. The key to the success of anything is communication, even Shakespeare believed so.
(Sandunlekha Ekanayake)