🤫 Quiet Quitting
A current cultural phenomenon is called Quiet Quitting and it is taking social media by storm. It is extremely controversial, from workers to corporate consultants, CEOs, news media outlets, labour rights advocates voicing their opinions.
The term Quiet Quitting was first established in 2009, however it has resurged in popularity due to several viral videos on Tik Tok. Quiet Quitting is defined on Wikipedia as, “An application of work-to-rule, in which employees work within defined work hours and engage solely in specified activities within those hours.” Essentially, QQ workers will only perform the bare minimum of what is required of them as outlined in their job description to remain employed. They are choosing to not go over and above what is required nor expand and grow upon their skillset by way of extra assignments and projects. They are choosing to simply perform the basic duties required to remain employed.
Since QQ resurfaced, it has become controversial with a variety of mixed opinions on the subject. Individuals who do not support Quiet Quitting believe that people who practice this philosophy are essentially lazy, unmotivated, and are willfully underperforming. Individuals who support Quiet Quitting believe they are establishing stronger workplace boundaries with their employers to improve their work life balance as they feel their employers are taking advantage of them. Proponents of Quiet Quitting have coined the term, “Acting your wage” as an explanation for their refusal to take on additional work projects that are outside of their paygrade.
We at Direct IT Recruiting Inc. are firm believers in protecting your mental wellbeing and achieving a healthy work life balance. We feel that Quiet Quitting is a temporary measure that is not sustainable.
Numerous studies have concluded that people DO want to work! It is human nature to be purposeful in our daily lives and that we are utilizing our skillsets. This is a very important part of creating a happy and fulfilling life for oneself. It is also documented that people who do not work, for whatever reason, tend to suffer from mental health issues, depression, anxiety that can lead to addiction and other serious health consequences. A Gallup poll in 2022 concluded that more than half of North Americans in the workforce are currently Quiet Quitting.
Many companies are struggling financially post-pandemic and are trying to increase profits to the same level they were pre-pandemic. Some companies are refusing to hire enough workers to complete all necessary tasks and thus their current employees are left with an increased workload for the same amount of money. Also, workers throughout the pandemic have re-evaluated their career goals and the type of treatment they are willing to accept from employers. This has created a disconnect in communication between employers and workers. This is why the vast majority of North Americans are resorting to Quiet Quitting. However, this is not a permanent solution.
It is of utmost importance to address the underlying issues resulting in various types of workplace behaviour in order to ensure success. First, the reason why workers feel the need to only do the bare minimum of what is required of them in their jobs is usually due to three factors. First, they feel that their employer consistently takes advantage of them by asking them to do more work than what is outlined in their job description. Instead of hiring on more staff, thus costing the company money, they just assign more work to their current employees. Second, they feel that there are limited opportunities for growth in their current roles, so they are deciding not to bother with growing and expanding upon their skills. Third, they feel that they are not being remunerated fairly for their contributions to the company. These are three very serious concerns for workers to have regarding their jobs.
We feel that if you are experiencing any of these challenges then find a new job where you will be respected, compensated fairly, have strong potential for career advancement while achieving a work life balance. We are currently in a HOT candidate job market where great employers are desperately looking for qualified, motivated candidates to fill their roles.
If you find yourself in this Quiet Quitting mode, please send us your resume at careers@directitrecruiting.com where we will connect you with our great clients seeking amazing, qualified candidates like yourself!