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When it comes to work, everyone wants to be the best, but it takes a while to realize that most of the time, this is happening at the expense of your health, relationships, and personal life.
Is sticking to your formal job expectations enough for success and financial independence, or do you always have to go above and beyond? Well, it most certainly should be.
What You Need to Know About Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting is a term that has recently attracted much attention, although the idea has possibly hit everyone in the past with work burnout.
It refers to meeting the requirements of your job and refusing to put in extra time, energy, and dedication – or, as it is commonly known – going above and beyond.
An employee does not quit his job in the literal sense but only attends to the tasks assigned to him on a priority basis. This behavior helps him squeeze in more time for himself, his family, and his personal goals.
Ed Zitron, the founder of EZPR – a firm focusing on consumer tech startups, points out that the term “quiet quitting” emerged due to glamorizing hustle culture in the corporate world.
He believes that most companies benefit from their employees’ overwork without needing additional compensation.
A New Phrase for an Old Concept
The term was not coined after putting much thought into it.
Bryan Creely, career coach and a corporate recruiter from Nashville, used the term in a video he posted on TikTok and YouTube on March 4th, 2022, that instantly went viral.
After being laid off in the Covid Pandemic, Creely started creating videos to help people deal with work-related problems and assist job seekers in landing their dream jobs.
“I just blurted it out,” said Creely in an interview with The Times, not knowing to be the first to coin a term for a widespread phenomenon among the recently dispirited workforce.
Fact or Fiction? Debunking the Myths Surrounding Quiet Quitting
According to research by Gallup, 50% of the US workforce could be labeled as quiet quitters.
Additionally, the proportion of actively disengaged workers went up from 16% in 2020 to 18% in 2022, implying a trend toward psychological detachment from their jobs.
This finding does not come as a shock when the trend suggests that most barely engaged or actively disengaged employees are already on a hunt for another job.
The reasons for quiet quitting, as primarily seen in a younger workforce, stem from four main concerns:
- A response to burnout at work.
- Not knowing how their discretionary efforts are being rewarded.
- Misalignment between the employee and organization regarding role expectation.
- Not finding the opportunities to learn and grow.
Knowing Your Rights: What Your Employer Can Do
The citizenship behavior reflected in going above and beyond your formal duties undeniably makes an organization more efficient and successful. However, measures should be taken to ensure employees feel acknowledged and compensated for their efforts.
Quiet quitting is majorly a result of poor management, but like most problems, it has its solutions.
Here are a few measures employers can take to keep their workers from falling into quiet quitting:
- Compensate the employees for going the extra mile through monetary benefit, professional advancement or promotion, meaningful recognition, and appreciation.
- Listen to and understand the intrinsic drivers of each employee and offer them additional tasks that align with their motivation.
- Offer a work environment that holds healthy debate around work-life balance and take measures to ensure it.
- Conduct frequent one-on-one meetings with the employees to see how they feel about their work.
What Quiet Quitting Means for Your Career
Chronic stress at work causes burnout in the majority of workers, taking them a step closer to quiet quitting.
If you feel mentally detached from work, purposeless, and unmotivated, it’s time to reconsider a few things.
Ask yourself repeatedly how you feel about your work. Acknowledge your feelings and communicate with your manager to arrive at a comfortable solution.
If communication does not solve the issues of burnout for you, considering a new job is not the end of the world.
Know that there is a perfect opportunity for you, and looking for a job that offers greater work-life balance will eventually help you regain control over your life.
Even if you feel content at work, working to build another income stream is the wisest move in today’s financial circumstances.
Why Quiet Quitting is the First Step to Financial Freedom
Quiet Quitting may sound like a fancy new term, but the phenomenon has existed for years in employees on the verge of professional burnout.
It’s essential to recognize your intrinsic drivers before you go above and beyond in your job role. If an organization fails to acknowledge and incentivize your extra efforts and your work messes up your work-life balance, reconsidering your priorities becomes necessary.
In the end, you should have more control over your work than the other way around.
