Quiet Quitting: What’s Our Relationship with Work?

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One Millennial View: Simply put, part of the Belongify experience is helping teams realize that work doesn’t have to suck. In fact, we believe teams should connect, develop strong psychological safety, and bring acknowledged value that makes each leader, and employee, get out of bed every morning, eager to contribute to their organizations. After all, we were hired and accepted the job because we wanted it, right?

Paying the bills and providing for yourself (and those dependent on you), while working on something you believe in, and serves a purpose. That’s ideal.

However, there is a ton of discussion about behaviors like “quiet quitting,” and the “act your wage” movement, which suggest that many individuals in today’s workforce are highly discouraged in their professional lives.

Quiet quitting and/or acting your wage is defined as doing only what is written in your job description, and nothing above or beyond. No extra professional development, no extended hours, just minimal effort to remain employed.

According to an article in Business Insider, “the trends of quiet quitting and acting your wage have set the internet ablaze.” Content creators on TikTok and other social media platforms have gained massive following and support by others who relate to this mindset.

So what’s wrong? Part of me thinks back to when I graduated in 2009, with the job market dwindling. We’d pretty much happily accept any position, it was a privilege just to be hired. Quiet quitting wasn’t even a thought.

Now, Business Insider states, “Employees have a lot of power right now to negotiate. They have choices with the Great Resignation.”

I like to thankfully recognize we are generations removed from having to wipe the soot off our face after a 14 hour shift in the coal mines as a 10-year-old. So, we can likely agree work has certainly improved in most cases. Yet still, maybe the modern cubicle life is frustrating when we also live in a reality where OnlyFans creators made $4 Billion dollars in 2021, for doing… Well, it’s generally not accounting.

But quiet quitting? Is that the answer? Do we have less mental toughness in 2022 than 2009? Are we burnt out faster? Where’s the grit? Since when is minimal effort encouraged in anything, let alone work?

Perhaps since I’m fortunate enough to enjoy what I do for a living, I should just be grateful and stay quiet. That said, I know there will still be challenges, tough days, tasks I prefer more than others. There are also solutions - A nice background playlist, a new flavor of coffee, a joke, exciting professional development opportunities, and of course, values, a purpose and mantra I am aligned with. It’s not always easy, sometimes it’s hard, however I’d argue that accomplishing hard things has to be infinitely more fulfilling than quiet quitting.

I hope we loudly drop this “quiet quitting” trend, and just because “acting your wage” sounds cute, the action itself is pretty ugly.

- Garrett

One Gen Z View: This is the first I am hearing of a quiet quitting trend, but I see why it exists. However, I believe it should not have the name it does, because calling it “quiet quitting” implies that people doing the extra work is normal and that in not doing so, they are quitting at work. The premise of this “trend” is that people should not be doing extra work when they are already burnt out, and are not being paid to do it. “Quiet quitting” is people doing what is listed as required so they are not forced to do the work of others without compensation. I believe that the reasoning behind these actions are fair and valid.

- Logan

Edited and published by me.

Quiet Quitting: What’s Our Relationship with Work?

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