Quiet quitting is the latest trend blowing up on social media, but what does it mean?
In simple terms quiet quitting is not outright quitting your job, but rather quitting the idea of going above and beyond in your workplace. For some, it’s doing the bare minimum - just enough to not get yourself fired. For others, it’s sticking to the job description with scrupulous precision, declining anything not specifically deemed in your realm of responsibility.
Quiet quitting is not a new concept. In Australia there has always been elements of ‘slacking off’, ‘chucking a sickie’ or ‘just calling it in’.
And despite what you may read, it’s not just millennials. It’s people of all ages, sitting at their desk but mentally checked out.
For some of us it’s been a long-time coming.
Why has quiet quitting become so common?
During 2021 and the Great Resignation, people said, “Enough” and left toxic jobs, leaders, and workplaces in droves. It was loud and proud – a real kick in the guts to those we deemed had done us wrong.
But what happens when you don’t have the energy for such a loud response? What if you can’t afford a new job right now?
Recent Gallup statistics paint a dire picture in the US. Around 50% of the surveyed workforce are ‘not engaged’, or in other words open to doing the bare minimum.
As a Burnout Researcher I’ve seen this trend for years now – people cannot perform in the same way and at the same pace they once did.
In a 2021 global survey of office-based workers, Australia led the world in rates of burnout. More than half (53%) of respondents, reported suffering from burnout over the past 12 months. If it’s not you, it’s bound to be the person sitting beside you!
Maybe quiet quitting is our response – a rebellion to former attitudes in the corporate world. Blowback from our grinding, hustle culture. Never quite being able to switch off. Deadlines. Bad bosses. Toxic workplaces. A complete lack of sustainability in our pace of life.
Healthy and unhealthy aspects of quiet quitting
If this sounds like you, you might be wondering how you could embrace the pleasing aspects of quiet quitting without the pain of performance plans and imminent firings!
Adopting some of the ideology of quiet quitting could be a timely response that addresses some of these alarming burnout trends.
Done the right way, quiet quitting can draw healthy boundaries between work and life. It can be about carving out time and energy to focus on what matters most…whether that be friends and family, hobbies, health, travel, feeling most alive.
Feeling jaded? It’s even a path to rekindling the spark and embracing the work you have chosen to do.
Quiet quitting is not healthy when…
- You’re running away from what’s really bothering you
- No aspect of your work is enjoyable at all
- You’re feeling socially isolated
- Overall, you’ve lost your way in life and lack purpose.
If you relate to these unhealthy situations, perhaps a bigger conversation around bringing life back into alignment is also required.
Productively embrace the joy of quiet quitting
Let’s look at 3 elements that will help you embrace this trend in a way that won’t be a career catastrophe – for yourself or your employer.
- Communicate with clarity and respect – Your words and actions hold meaning and there is a right and wrong way to approach your work situation.
The joys of quiet quitting include adopting behaviours such as only working contracted hours, only working on tasks under your jurisdiction, taking regular breaks etc. Whilst reasonable expectations on paper, if your long-standing mode is you going consistently above and beyond there’ll be an adjustment period.
Setting healthy boundaries at work and in life is an art form! If your approach is a sudden noticeable change and done in a way that is neglectful or disrespectful, you will face blowback.
Instead, having well thought out actions, communicated up-front in clear language that sets out your expectations will provide a better chance of being heard. This is all part of a negotiation. You are not necessarily asking for permission, rather approaching the situation in a logical and respectful manner.
One advantage from the pandemic is many workplaces now focus more on mental health and recognise these as productive conversations. But let’s be honest, this is not going to work in all situations and with all leaders. Whilst in some circumstances this may fall on deaf ears, you are still treating the organisation with respect and giving it the greatest chance of success.
- Prioritise what gives you energy – We all go through periods of stress, exhaustion, overwhelm and quiet quitting may be a sign that your energy balance is out of whack.
Think of energy management like a bank balance. Sometimes we make too many withdrawals leading to depletion (buzz). The secret to reversing this is to make regular deposits that build your energy bank up again (ding, ding). And once it’s high, we want to keep it that way!
How? Focus on what fills your cup and do more of that. It may be spending time alone or quality time with friends and family (ding). Hobbies that are relaxing and energising (ding, ding). Gravitating towards different people (ding, ding, ding).
Focus on anything that gives you more of an energy boost than it requires from you. Where you can, schedule it into your calendar first as a priority.
Over time you may find that rebuilding your energy bank takes pressure off your work situation. This may even provide a springboard to reconnect with what you enjoyed about your work in the first place.
- Build a sustainable lifestyle for the long-term - It may be that work is taking up a huge chunk of your time and focus, even if you’re not aware of it. From your work’s point of view this may seem good, but long-term is that really sustainable?
A healthier approach is always to bring balance to life. If you’ve taken on the point above, you’ve found things that give you energy outside of work and built that energy bank up again. Now it’s time to make this a permanent priority – a mix of work and life to take you into the long-term.
Sometimes quiet quitting is a sign it’s time to physically move-on from our current workplace and we should be ready for this possibility. Remember though, the grass is not always greener and failing to change our mindset around the balance and sustainability in life creates the risk of taking the same issues into our next organisation.
Top tips for Leaders during the quiet quitting revolution
As a leader in 2022 and beyond, you are the front-line of helping reduce the alarming trend towards disengagement and burnout. What are the top strategies to approach a quiet quitting situation?
- Burnt out people burn out people! If you’re feeling depleted, unappreciated, disengaged…chances are this is being communicated to the people you lead.
The remedy starts with you. Be kind to yourself first and work through your situation as a priority. Sometimes professional support is what’s needed, your own coach or therapist
It’s about getting the right support or finding the right environment so you have the bandwidth to have the conversations needed to support your people.
- Candid conversations – Quiet quitting can signal a breakdown between the leader and their people. Maybe something else is happening in life outside of work. No matter what, quiet quitting is a sign change is needed.
As a leader, building trust to broach these conversations can be a challenge, but we are becoming increasingly aware this is a crucial leadership skill. Done right, your people can voice their opinions and concerns, even show vulnerability.
Why not ask them about the situation? (in a non-confrontational way of course). There may be some gems of feedback for you. At the very least you’re providing the opportunity to voice their concerns.
- What trends are present? - Over the years I’ve come to see that feedback is a gift, even though it may not seem like it at the time! However, when you ask for feedback, you also need to be willing to do something with it. Without this step trust can be easily broken.
Lack of engagement, burnout, quiet quitting…these are often signs of systemic cultural issues that need a concerted effort to be addressed.
Often it’s our business basics 101…Aligning individual effort with a greater purpose. Building trust within teams. Providing regular forums for people to feel seen, heard and valued. Managing individual expectations. Showing care beyond just being an unimportant cog in the wheel.
Demonstrating commitment to taking on feedback and using your leadership position to help create an environment that addresses these concerns can go a long way to maintaining the trust required.
Meet the author
Sarah Vizer (Class of 2000, the creator of Beyond Burnout)
As a High Performance and Anti-Burnout Specialist, Sarah has dedicated her time to supporting top professionals reach new levels of high performance, without the burnout.
Sarah offers individual and team support for you and your organisation.
Find out more at www.sarahvizer.com.