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What is "Quiet Quitting" and How Can You Cope With It?

September 15, 2022

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If you are not on TikTok, you are missing out.

There is a new term that young workers have coined and it is spreading like wildfire on the internet. People are pushing for the idea of “quiet quitting” which aims to avoid occupational burnout and paying more attention to one's mental health and personal wellbeing.  Regardless if you agree with it or not, this trend has the possibility to redefine workplace standards on a global scale.

This article will walk you through everything you have to know about quiet quitting and how to deal with it if you think you are experiencing it yourself.

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What is quiet quitting?

Time Magazine concisely defined quiet quitting as a "concept of no longer going above and beyond, and instead doing what [an employee’s] job description requires of them and only that." CBS News adds it is all about "setting boundaries at work."

Employees who have chosen to embrace quiet quitting are still "fulfilling their job duties but not subscribing to 'work is life' culture to guide their career and stand out to their superiors," as stated in Tech Target. It's about performing the necessary tasks without agreeing to take on additional challenging projects, work nights and weekends, or other ways that typical employees are customarily urged to do in order to prove their worth to an employer.

Basically, they go to work, stick to what is in their job description, go home on the dot, leave work behind them, then focus on non-work duties and activities.

 

The rise of quiet quitting

In the middle of 2022, a popular TikTok video gave rise to the new term and workplace phenomenon. People have since uploaded a plethora of content explaining their decision to follow this trend, with the bulk of these users being Gen Z and Millennial knowledge workers aiming to modify workplace rules.

Several online sources state that quiet quitting came after the "Great Resignation," which saw an average of nearly 4 million employees leave their jobs each month in 2021. As COVID-19 vaccination tried to bring the global workforce back to normal, many left their jobs due to different reasons, including low pay, poor benefits, not wanting to return to the office, a lack of schedule flexibility, and long working hours, among many others.

Basically, the pandemic's restrictions and lockdowns made a lot of people rethink their career choices. Following the pandemic, the trend resonated with a lot of workers who worked remotely and suddenly realized they can limit their workloads but still accomplish things by doing a job's bare minimum.

Forbes added that a common sentiment among quiet quitters is that it is "safer to remain to continue earning a paycheck, take a wait-and-see approach, and bide your time until things turn around for the better" rather than actually resigning from a job to look for better opportunities.

 

Signs of quiet quitting

Although the term "quiet quitting" has been gaining attention recently, the behavior itself towards work is not. Since more individuals now have access to social media, where they can voice their opinions and spread their concerns, it has garnered attention and sparked discussion.

With it, people are explaining their motives for wishing to reduce their workload. There are many different ways for quiet quitting to project but they are all commonly rooted towards an employee's dissatisfaction towards their career and their growing desire to simply have a better work-life balance.

As stated in Tech Target, some signs of quiet quitting include the following:

  • not attending meetings;
  • arriving late or leaving early;
  • reduction in productivity;
  • less contribution to team projects;
  • not participating in planning or meetings; and
  • lack of passion or enthusiasm.

 

How to cope with quiet quitting

Forbes has noted that the best way to cope with quiet quitting is by talking to your manager. "Let them know how you feel. Discuss why you are feeling disengaged and alienated. Offer instances that buttress your feelings," the article stated.

It listed several suggestions that you can open up to your manager to get yourself out of that rut and enjoy your work a little bit more. These include:

  • switching to a remote work option
  • four-day workweek
  • flexibility to come into the office when and where you want
  • becoming a digital nomad
  • relocating to another location for the same salary
  • job crafting your position to derive more engagement and meaning

More importantly, the companies and employers have more control over this situation. According to the same source, here are some ways companies can help their employees with this matter:

  • Discuss the best way for a person to achieve a better work-life balance.
  • Help your team effectively deal with and overcome mental health and emotional well-being issues.
  • Seek out a path toward career advancement within the organization.
  • Recalibrate the workload, so it’s not overwhelming.
  • In light of inflation and higher costs, offer an increase in compensation.
  • Improve time-off policies.
  • Ask what management should do to make your work life better.
  • Inquire about what it will take for you to stay with the firm.

If you are a job seeker, look for a company that has great office culture and can provide you with a promising career growth with competitive compensation and benefits. This is a way to beat the quiet quitting mindset. And that is exactly what Onward Worldwide is. We have vacancies for several positions in administrative work, engineering, digital marketing, and game development, among many others.

If you have some corporate-related concerns, we also provide a myriad of services that can help you from recruitment to accounting to graphic design to property management and a lot more. Get in touch with us now!

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