A new viral trend called “quiet quitting” has hit TikTok with over 4 million views in just a matter of days. The trend in a short span has gained so much popularity that it has attracted the attention of many leading publications worldwide. The trend reflects a key paradigm shift and has the potential to indicate several changes in the workplace culture and practices.
What is it about?
“Quiet Quitting” is about employees establishing clear work boundaries. For many decades, generally, employees had to struggle in managing a work-life balance but now this is about to change with the disruption caused by the pandemic. Through “quiet quitting”, employees have started taking matters into their own hands. The name might suggest that they’ll quit jobs to attain that, but that’s certainly not the case. They have decided to establish work-life balance boundaries by doing just what they are getting paid to do.
Thousands of quiet quitters are sharing their stories of how they were told to work harder and take initiative at the workplace which impacted their mental and physical health. They emphasized that they had to work extra and stay late in the office resulting in additional stress. However, the emergence of this trend suggests that a significant proportion has decided that they are not going to sacrifice their physical and mental health by bending over backwards for promotions and additional perks. They have decided to do the bare minimum which ensures that they keep their jobs with a minimal level of stress.
The videos tagged with #QuietQuitting cover a range of workplace issues. Some have posted their videos of closing the computers screens sharp at 5 pm (closing time of office) while some have shared screenshots of the conversations of saying no to additional job assignments that were different from their job descriptions.
Although the majority of the “Quiet Quitters” belong to a younger age group, interestingly, this trend is supported by people from all generations. Gen X has been a victim of this exploitation by employers for so many years that they feel delighted that this movement is gaining momentum. Gen Y was already dissatisfied with the work timings and schedules, the recent shift to remote and hybrid employment has given them an idea of how much better their life would be if they can balance work with other priorities. And finally Gen Z, simply could not tolerate the existing workplace practices and felt uncomfortable with the traditional organisational cultures.
What’s wrong with it?
There have been people who have posted against “quiet quitting” by criticising people for not valuing their jobs. As per the critics, this trend is a recipe for disaster as it will encourage more employees to take work for granted and many would lose their jobs if they do not give their best at work.
Although there does not seem much wrong with people checking out on time and not working late hours to maintain a healthy work-life balance, that’s definitely not how one should look at his/her work. This approach of just maintaining a bare minimum cannot prepare an employee for future challenges and demanding roles which means that their growth and development will be stagnant. The detachment from work is definitely harmful to the employer but it is equally damaging for the employee as well. Feeling resentful and distancing from work does not help anyone. It might give a sense of satisfaction for a short while as the psychological contract is renewed but it has dreadful consequences in the long run. Generally, people move forward, develop, and learn new skills by pushing their limits; certainly, not by doing the bare minimum.
However, people have responded to such criticism by stating that quiet quitting does not mean that one does not perform the job properly, it’s only about maintaining healthy boundaries. The supporters of this trend have defended it by clarifying that quiet quitting means that an employee should not be bombarded with additional work that is outside the domain of his job description. For decades, employers have taken advantage of the financial needs and aspirations of the employees by extracting the work of two or even three employees from a person.
What should be the response from employers?
Quiet Quitting is an innovative retaliation of the employees which has put the onus on the employers to respond to the changing nature of the workforce. It will be a challenge to manage an employee who is not willing to put in 100% and does not believe in taking initiative. The obvious response will be to get rid of that employee but the trend suggests that many potential employees share the same value set. This means that there has to be a shift in HR practices to accommodate for the changing nature of the workforce.
Therefore, there is a need to look at the root cause of the problem. It has to start with the top management because they can initiate the right sort of conversations and bring about a change in workplace cultures. Many organisations have a culture in which working late and extra is valued. Even if that’s the case, there has to be clear communication and the company values should be stated explicitly. Recently, Mark Zuckerberg openly communicated that if an employee cannot work hard then he/she should quit. He does not want lazy workers at Meta as he values hard work.
However, other business leaders are willing to understand the work-life balance needs of their employees. One such example is of Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg. He has promoted a work culture that is focused on providing all employees with a healthy work-life balance. Only 1% of the entire workforce reported that they had to work other than the mandatory working hours. In addition, the company offers unique benefits of ergonomic reimbursements for office equipment, fitness sessions, and childcare reimbursements.
This means that recruitment has gained more significance because companies need to align their values with the profiles of possible candidates. Meta needs people who have the appetite for growth and are driven by an intrinsic passion for technology while Chegg needs smart people who can find innovative solutions to new problems. A particular candidate with a skillset to fulfil the technical and positional requirements of both companies might not be the best fit for one or either because of a change of value system.
If someone has an issue with working late, and they get to know about the working culture at that particular organisation then that person would not opt to work there and as of now, there can be many other companies that offer a better work-life balance opportunity. Therefore, the top management needs to make it crystal clear what are their expectations from the employees. The employees who get mixed signals during the interviews tend to be confused and that often results in a mismatch of reality and expectations.
It is also extremely important to listen to the young workforce i.e. Gen Z employees. By listening to them, the top management can be aware of how things are shaping up and make relevant adjustments. This approach cannot only address their problems but also can help them in devising a compelling vision that can motivate the younger employees. One of the main reasons why “Quiet Quitters” are unable to engage meaningfully in work is because they are unable to derive meaning from it. Hence, by listening to their problems the top management can truly understand what could be the possible drivers and once they have made the amendments in the working style/culture, the engagement levels are likely to go up.
Conclusion
Many employees worldwide are seeing “quiet quitting” as an answer to managing work-life balance and burnout issues. This wave poses a serious threat to traditional workplace cultures and practices. For such employees, maintaining an emotional and mental distance from their work helps them in handling the anxieties and stresses that come along with a job.
Employees might feel that through this detachment from work they have settled the scores with their employers but that is certainly not the case. If they feel disengaged in their work then there is a likelihood that they have already passed the burnout stage and it is better to look for other options because, in the long run, it can have an impact on the growth and development of an individual.
This movement is gaining momentum and the consequences can be far-reaching. Employers and business leaders must respond to the situation by being more proactive in designing organisational culture and workplace practices. They can no longer afford to chain their employees for long hours and expect them to perform to the best of their capabilities. Gen Z, specifically, brings along with them a new approach that will shape the future of the workplace and they are not going to adhere to the workplace practices of the past. Therefore, organisations have to adapt if they want to attract and retain top talent.