An absolutely risible terminology being widely bandied about, absolutely unmeaning in essence and untruthful in usage. Yes folks, it is outstanding to only do what is required of your job. But there is apparently something so revolutionary about acting your wage that it is giving many CEOs the collywobbles. An employee’s job is thoroughly explained to them before they are hired through a job description, which enlists the set of responsibilities that they are willing to undertake for a specified pay.
Why in the 21st century must anyone be expected to do beyond that, or beyond the company’s expectations? That is patently unjust. Also, it is insulting, because companies are describing those employees who are not willing to overexert or stress themselves at work as wanton slackers who do not.
want to work anymore. In what looks like a free society where individuals possess their right to well-being, employers seem unapologetically solicitous about it.
There is life beyond work and one must do everything in their capacity to avoid any occupational burnout and to maintain proper work-life balance. The efforts of the employees must, in any fair organizational set-up, be based on how they are rewarded. Every employee out there would be a misfit in case employers so openly wish they wear themselves to a shadow! If there is a mismatch between work and pay, it does not imply a “high workload,” but out and out exploitation – and that is feudal!
When companies willfully overwork their employees – a stressor that utterly outstrips their diathesis-it exhausts them mentally and hurts them physically. It is absolutely an assault on their right to a decent life.
So, the issue is not quite quiet quitting, but the rampant toxicity in workplaces. That is what the corporate hullabaloo over what should be so commonsensical is symptomatic of. Leaders are supposed to lead and any display of such nauseating high-handedness only betrays their desire to rule. This helps none. If employers genuinely wish their employees to do their utmost, then employers have got to make sure they feel passionate about the job they have chosen to do. Otherwise, as Homer Simpson way back in 1995 famously said, employees shall not strike, but “go in everyday and do it really half-assed.”
Indeed, according to the latest Gallup poll, about a staggering half of the U.S. workforce are quiet quitters! It states that U.S. employee engagement has taken “a step backward during the second quarter of 2022, with the proportion of engaged workers remaining at 32%, but the proportion of actively disengaged increasing to 18%. The ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is now 1.8 to 1, the lowest in almost a decade.” It further points to a decline in engaged employees under the age of 35 (including Gen Z) by 6 percentage points from 2019 to 2022 and a concurrent rise in the percentage of actively disengaged employees by 6 points.
While quiet quitting is completely fair in a work situation filled with pressure, it brings with it the risk of being quietly fired by the employers. That is to say, there would be minimum wage benefits or perks, zero social safety net or bonuses, a diminution of responsibilities, etc., which would goad the employee into quitting and finding an alternate job. Thereby employees who do go the extra mile, voluntarily, to meet the business’s needs, could be saddled with additional responsibilities!
In any case, one must always bear in mind that work is for leisure! It makes one productive, efficient, identify strengths and capitalize on them. It builds confidence and determination in one to achieve something of true worth. However, if one is only acting their wage, then it clearly means that the work experience has not been rewarding, and so they wish to spend their time in a much better way and focus your attention on things that actually matter to them.
Badgefree says, “Way to go!” Just as smoking, if your livelihood too sucks the life out of you, quit (loudly, if you like)!
