Quiet Quitting
Quiet quitting. What is it? What does it mean? This social media “trend” is generating millions of views daily. Here’s a closer look at what we know about this current trend.
What Is Quiet Quitting?
A video posted on TikTok last month went viral when a user used the hashtag #quietquitting, generating over 8.2 million views. Quiet quitting does not actually involve quitting your job. Instead, this trend is aimed at working to a lower standard. Closing your laptop at 5 p.m. Doing only your assigned tasks. Spending more time with family. Spending less time on your career. These are just a few examples that best portray quiet quitting.
“If you want people to go ‘above and beyond,’ compensate them for it. Give them $200, or grant them extra vacation, pay them for the extra work. Show them the direct result of ‘I am going above and beyond and working to my full potential’ to ‘I am being rewarded for doing this.” Ed Zitron, who runs a media consulting business for tech startups and writes the labor-focused newsletter Where’s Your Ed At, provided this statement about the trend.
Summing up “Quiet quitting” in a few sentences would look something like this: Workers unmotivated to work at their full potential without extra compensation. Believe the bare minimum is all they should strive for when there is nothing else to benefit them from working harder.
Generational Differences
Gen Z is not the first generation to experience employee burnout. However, they are the first generation to experience this type of burnout with the influence of social media on their side. TikTok among other social media platforms makes these trends come to life overnight, bringing the trends to attention of almost every user on the platform. The generation mindset differences of Gen Z are also something to keep in mind. Other generations in the history of the workforce knew working harder to impress your boss was a key way to get a raise/promotion, etc. Nowadays, GenZers are actually declining jobs and quitting because of a plethora of reasons involving wfh, salary, PTO, etc. With 0 years experience.
Employee vs Employer
Is it right for employers to expect employees to work hard without asking? Is it concerning that employees do not wish to work hard at their job? There are many debates and arguments for each party in this trend. A main point, made by Kristin Zawatski, Project Manager, states “Knowing that life could be short, I didn’t want to waste it anymore all the time just worrying about what kind of employee I was, because my kids don’t care what kind of employee I am. My kids care what kind of mom I am”. On the contrary, small business owner Zach Malawitz suggests that “People need to realize this is the real world. Your feelings will get hurt, sacrifices will be made, you need to work hard to advance in your career. Not everything will be handed to you or fall in your lap. If you want to live your dream life, then work for it”.
With a heavy following and an engaged audience, it is difficult to predict what the outcome of this trend will be.
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