Everything you need to know about...QUIET QUITTING

You’ve probably seen it in headlines, heard a friend or two talking about it… and you’re wondering, just what is quiet quitting?

Here’s what you need to know: Quiet quitting isn’t something new that is happening; in fact it has been going on for a while. Only now it has been given a name and more spotlight in the media with what has been happening with the pandemic the last two years.

The pandemic of course has been extremely challenging for many – trying to juggle work, life and everything else in the midst of it all. Many people were completely burnout by the experience and start to question the value of work, whether they really should put in all that extra weight at work or just take it chill.

Enter quiet quitting – which essentially describes the new way of doing just bare minimum at work. It doesn’t mean you are quitting the job but rather it just means you are only doing strictly within your job description, coming in and leaving work on the dot without a minute extra to spare, and not answering emails or doing anything work-related outside of office hours. You’re still fulfilling your job duties; you’re just not hustling to make it to the top. And if you don’t get promoted? That’s fine with you because in your mind, the whole “work is life” culture doesn’t apply. When work is done for the day, so are you.

Why do people quiet quit? There are many reasons and perhaps you may even recognise yourself in one of them. For starters, one may quiet quit because they are not happy in their position and therefore lack the motivation to want to do better. Quiet quitting is also a way one deals with burnout; you are completely out of energy and zest to be enthusiastic at work, feeling jaded about the whole office culture. This may all point to the fact that you are ready to change positions (because you are bored) or may want to look for another job (current one doesn’t do anything for you anymore). It can also point to the fact that you need some much needed R&R as lack of motivation to do anything is a sign of fatigue.

The pandemic didn’t help either. In fact, it made quiet quitting even more prominent as it completely flipped how we work! The past two years, many people had time to think about their life existence and their careers. They may even start to seek more work-life balance with the pandemic putting some things into perspective. Lots of people are going on social media to share their dissatisfaction about work – and it’s easy to be influenced by that, thinking “hey, yah that’s me too!”

There is a huge disconnect in work – and even if things are slowly getting back to what we used to be, the seed has been sown.

If you feel like that, you don’t have to worry that you’re doing a bad job at work! Understand that many people out there in the world are exactly in the same place as you are. And it’s normal to feel not engaged at work sometimes; the past two years have been stressful to say the least!

Work stress is real and what’s even more real is its impact on your health. If you find yourself no longer wanting to go beyond your scope and minimise socializing with colleagues, well then there is a name for that already.

And here’s the thing – there may be a plus side to quiet quitting. Some people find that when they stop trying to do so much, they have better focus and productivity on the more important task at hand. They put in more effort on what’s important and therefore get better results. Not everybody said hustling is a good thing to do; what’s more important is to do and get better at what you want to achieve.

Plus, perhaps quiet quitting is exactly what you need to take back and reconsider your career choices. It’s a reminder to take your work burnout seriously and not to work yourself to the bone. Sometimes it’s OK to say no, and sometimes when you do say no, you are saying yes to being more productive at what’s important while still being able to take time off for yourself.

What do you think of quiet quitting? Is this something you’re going through right now? Share your experience with us on Twitter @Graduan!