11 Positive Strategies to Prevent You from Quiet Quitting at Work
Updated: Jan 25
After the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting is the latest career trend circulating on social media.
What is Quiet Quitting? Is it Real?
Quiet quitting refers to doing the minimum requirements of one’s job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary. As such, it is a misnomer since the worker doesn’t leave their position and continues to collect a salary.
The trend is real, going by studies and surveys. A September 2022 Gallup survey revealed that at least half of American workers are doing the minimum to meet their job description. The same study mentions that the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees in the country is the lowest in a decade.
The implications of quiet quitting vary, depending on who you ask. While some acknowledge the need to strike a healthy work-life balance — and consider quiet- quitting a way of ensuring your job won’t take over the rest of your life, others believe it to be lazy, disloyal, and potentially indicative of an overall downward spiral— beyond career. Arianna Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post, wrote in a viral LinkedIn post, “quiet quitting isn’t just about quitting on a job, it’s a step towards quitting on life.”
Why is Quiet Quitting not a Solution for You?
Slacking off at work can cause rifts between employees as some are left to compensate for others. This, in turn, fuels a toxic workplace culture that could further exacerbate employee dissatisfaction.
Additionally, staying in a miserable job and putting in the bare minimum could mean giving up the prospect of moving to a better, more fulfilling career.
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However, most concerning for quiet quitters is the prospect of being fired. While the great resignation led to there being more jobs relative to experienced workers, a looming recession has changed the calculus in employers’ favour.
A new survey by consulting firm PwC found that half of the respondents in the US were planning to reduce their headcount, including bemouths like Apple, Peloton and Walmart. In turn, a July report from Joblist found that 60 per cent of job seekers feel more urgency to find a job now before economic conditions deteriorate.
This means that employers have the upper hand over employees, and in this climate, quiet quitters, or those doing the bare minimum, could be the first to go.
In the medium to long run, quiet quitting will be more inimical for your career rather than outright resignation.
So, how can you maintain a middle ground between being a workaholic and just going through the motions?