If you have been on social media in the past few months, chances are you have come across conversations on a trending phenomenon called ‘quiet quitting’ all over Twitter, TikTok and even the news. Quiet quitting is all the rage right now and, although it’s not a new phenomenon, it’s back with a new name.
What Is Quiet Quitting?
To put it simply, quiet quitting is basically a practice of not going ‘above and beyond’ at your job. It essentially means doing what you’re paid to do and nothing more, which I’m completely on board with.
Most companies try to squeeze as much out of you as you let them and I always tell people that you have to draw your own boundaries because your employer won’t do that for you. If it was up to your employer, you wouldn’t go home at all and just keep working 24/7. It’s kind of like finding a curly fry among your normal, boring fries. It makes you feel like you got more than you paid for. Similarly, when you go the extra mile for your company, beyond your pay grade, your employer feels like they got a better deal than they are paying for.
But, if you make it a habit to work overtime and keep going that extra mile, not only will your employer start expecting that from you on a regular basis, but it will also set a precedent that the boss can then quote to other employees and get them to go the extra mile too, for little to no compensation. It’s a losing game for everyone.
I remember a few months back when I was going the extra mile, working anywhere between 50 to 60 hours a week, compromising on my social life, sleep and even my studies. And when the biannual appraisals came in and I got a raise, it did not reflect even half of the effort I was putting in. Therefore, I have been on a quiet quitting spree for the last couple of months myself.
Through quiet quitting, employees are starting to reclaim their lives and draw their own boundaries and disrupt borderline exploitative work practices. They either do it to just get by while they look for other opportunities, or they are completely comfortable with setting their boundaries and making their employers respect that.
This is a good thing and I’m completely on board with it. However, there are some instances where I feel quiet quitting does not apply.
Quiet Quitting the Right Way
The problem with quiet quitting is that it’s hard to strike a balance and figure out where to draw the line and some people take it as a challenge to work as little as possible without getting fired. This is entirely unfair to your employer. So, here are a few tips on doing quiet quitting right.
1. Earn your paycheque
This may seem quite obvious but it’s the most critical part. Quiet quitting does not mean that you start slacking off or do a half-baked job. It means that you will do only what you’re getting paid for and nothing more. So it’s extremely important that you do justice to your job and your salary. If you’re supposed to work 40 hours a week, dedicate those 40 hours to work with as few distractions as possible. Then you can ignore work phone calls or messages after your work hours. You have every right to keep your personal time personal but that only works if you’re using your work hours for work. You can’t have it both ways.
2. Decide if quiet quitting is appropriate for you
Most companies will exploit you every chance they get but the keyword here is most. Not all employers are toxic and intrusive and if your company respects your boundaries, compensates you sufficiently for your extra effort and gives you the chance to unwind and blow off steam every now and then, you’re not in the position to quiet quit. In fact, if your company goes the extra mile for you, it’s only fair that you go the extra mile for it too. But, of course, proportionately.
3. Keep the quiet in quiet quitting
Discretion is key in quiet quitting. It’s right there in the name. Gossiping with your coworkers and bragging about how little work you do will be counterproductive. If your employer hears about your strategy and gets the idea that it’s some sort of a game to you, this can backfire very quickly.
Backlash Against Quiet Quitting
If you do a quick search on quiet quitting, you will see that news outlets and certain popular business personalities (I’m looking at you, Kevin O’Leary) are very dismissive of quiet quitting and they are quick to call quiet quitters lazy, entitled and anti-work. However, there’s nothing wrong with claiming your personal time for yourself and not going above and beyond for a job that does not acknowledge or reward you for your efforts.
Work culture is very pervasive in our society and it bears repeating that it is up to us to set up our own boundaries and make people respect them. There’s nothing wrong with quiet quitting as long as you do it right and there are no losers in the game. You want to make sure that you are getting what you want out of your job and your employer wants to make sure that they are getting what they pay you for.
It’s a sign of toxic and exploitative work culture when the media bashes quiet quitting and the people involved, but you have to make sure that you’re also doing quiet quitting right to make sure you don’t end up on the wrong side of history.
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