Quiet quitting is a phrase that became popular on TikTok and describes workers that refuse to go above and beyond what their job role requires. This means that sofware engineers won&apos't be resolving network connectivity issues nor will accountants answer after hours calls. Essentially, quiet quitting simply means that employees are putting their mental well-being before their job roles.
Millineals and Gen Z'ers are the first generations to embrace a phlisophy that does not put the employer's goals and well-being ahead of their own. Boundaries are set and many refuse to accept any work outside of pre-agreed upon hours. It really isn't that dissimilar to how employers have been operating for decades.
Most businesses have hours of operations that dictate when customers can interact with them. Employees themselves are also service providers and are allowed to conduct business during the hours that they. Employers who fail to realize this will likely find themselves facing a staff shortage due to the number of resignations that will ensue.
The only people that stand to suffer from the effects of quiet quitting are managers and business owners that engage in predatory practices with respect to allocation of tasks for workers. Those who respect boundaries, do not burden employees after their shifts, and refrain from piling out of job description tasks on employees without proper compensation won't even notice someone quiet quitting.
I don't think anyone knows why its called quiet quitting. Similarly, I don't really understand why people call throwing something "yeeting". Quiet quitting certainly is not an accurate description of what people are doing since they are not actually leaving the job, they are just working within normal operating hours exclusively.
A more accurate, albeit less catchy, name for the practice would be "corporate boundary setting".
In general, adopting an entrepreneurial mindset is beneficial for anyone and is one of the benefits of quiet quitting. You learn to set boundaries and focus on building yourself up rather than dumping all your energy into increasing some company's value. However, quiet quitting won't help with getting promotions or raises at most places.
This is due to many companies retaining the mindset of rewarding what they perceive as loyalty as opposed to results. Unfortunately, managers value an employee's ability to be available in the wee hours of the night more than the results they produce. Its a foolish way to conduct oneself but is omnipresent in the corporate world.
Any business that has become successful by exploiting workers will not like any philosophy that encourages them to fight back. Not every employer exploits employees but enough do that quiet quitting became popular in the first place. People like Kevin O'Leary from Shark Tank have stated "If you're a quiet quitter, you're a loser".
He is not alone, there have been numerous articles and podcasts from reputable publications like NPR that have advocated against quiet quitting. All essentially say the same thing, that its bad for the economy, customers, etc. But nearly all detractors were people who stand to gain from the exploitation of workers.
Seldom will you find an employee, who is not brain washed, speaking ill of setting boundaries at work.
FatFIRE is a growing philosophy that is antithetical to quiet quitting in every way possible. Rather than encouraging disengagement from the job, it encourages maximum engagement with the end goal of making as much money as possible. FatFIRE means "Financial Independence, Retire Early".
Its an interesting concept that encourages workers to try and amass a nest egg that will cover a minimum of $150K in living expenses per year. This is a nice thought but not a reality for most people in the United States and elsewhere. With an average wage of around $56K annually, you would need to work an additional job or rack up an inhuman amount of overtime.
In then end, money is not worth one's sanity nor is it worth the neglect your family is likely enduring while you are working long hours.
Posted by: Matt Irving on 9/13/2022