Working the Bare Minimum

In recent months, the phrase "Quiet quitting" has gained popularity on social media, particularly TikTok, and may be translated as "quitting in silence" or, more loosely, "quitting without quitting." It refers to a trend, shown by certain polls and prevalent among young male and female employees, of redefining their approach to work in less obsessive terms and not allowing it to consume more time than necessary. More broadly, it refers to a widespread desire to separate one's personality from one's professional employment.

The expression quiet quitting, used by many people as a caption in videos that have received millions of views on social networks, summarizes a significant refusal to put work at the center of one's life and a willingness to concentrate one's time and strength. in other activities, be they for leisure or even linked to a second job capable of satisfying a passion. We're talking about it not just because of the phenomenon's popularity on social media, but also because of what it indicates about the tendencies and sentiments prevalent in the workplace following the epidemic among younger people.

Instead of staying late at work on Fridays, participating in team-building activities, or volunteering to help newly recruited employees, proponents of Quiet Quitting reject the culture of work-hunger and limit themselves to performing only the tasks assigned to them, according to the Guardian. And it is an approach that, in certain situations, can result in the avoidance of simple cooperative behaviors that are not particular to work and are not specifically demanded, but are often essential in any group activity.

Several analysts attribute this phenomenon to a major drop in sentiments of fulfillment and happiness at work, as well as the pandemic's medium- and long-term implications. "Since the epidemic, the interaction of individuals with work has been investigated in different ways, and the research would appear to generally imply that in many professions that relationship has altered," said Maria Kordowicz, a professor at the University of Nottingham. which is concerned with corporate organizational behavior.

According to Kordowicz, the growth of this mindset among individuals is due, at least in part, to pandemic-induced reflections on the meaning of labor and mortality. It is also connected to the bewilderment many individuals felt during the epidemic while attempting to strike a balance between work and personal life, particularly in the case of remote employment. The combination of these factors would have resulted in the present general lack of motivation and passion and a decrease in job commitment.

A prominent yearly study by the American analytical and consultancy firm Gallup on the experience and evaluations of male and female workers throughout the world regarding their working life appears to support the prevalent views of people's discontent.

Europe has the lowest overall satisfaction rate of any of the ten regions of the globe studied. In the United States, while satisfaction is typically better than in other countries, there is still a significant generational divide: 54 percent of those born after 1989 state that they do not feel absorbed by their job. Quiet quitting, which has emerged as a social media trend, has generally been associated with younger groups of male and female workers. It is therefore not excluded that it is a passing trend, noted the Wall Street Journal, characterizing it in part as a likely result of the first contact with the world of labor, where it has never been simple "to find one's way among terrible bosses and little humiliations always inflicted on employees."

The Wall Street Journal, a conservative publication traditionally read by US high finance and entrepreneurship and therefore clearly espousing a point of view closer to employers than to employees, speculates that many people who declare they are not interested in professions may eventually change their minds. The difference, he claims, is that these individuals now "have TikTok and hashtags" to express their feelings, and they are, above all, victims of a pandemic and its destabilizing ramifications.

Quiet Quitting, on the other hand, does not always signify a diminution in job commitment. Clayton Farris, a 41-year-old American tiktoker and actor, stated in a TikTok video that he had long resisted getting overwhelmed by work-related anxieties. "What's most intriguing is that nothing has changed. I continue to work just as hard. I can still receive what I used to get. "I just don't get stressed out, and I don't tear myself apart on the inside," said Farris.

In some circumstances, particularly among younger people, the desire to quietly depart suggests deeper imbalances and dissatisfactions with employment.

Part of the argument, particularly in Europe, is thus sometimes evolved concurrently with a wider debate on the subject of employment insecurity and exploitation. Within this debate, the practice of not overworking is more often described as a utopian and risky practice that increases the likelihood of dismissal and subsequent difficulties due to a lack of alternatives in the labor market, rather than as a deliberate choice made in full compliance with contractual obligations.

Quiet Quitting was mostly connected with two scenarios in Anglo-Saxon culture. One is that diminished engagement in job activities is motivated by a desire for personal pleasure in many situations rather than professional discontent. The other is that in certain cases, employment is regarded as a source of stress and worry, which eventually becomes unsustainable, leading to alternative and more drastic options.

A 24-year-old former analyst for a Washington, DC-based transportation business told the Wall Street Journal that she departed less than a year after starting. The tension had grown so severe that she had psychogenic alopecia and sleeplessness, prompting her to hunt for new work. Meanwhile, she claims she is no longer working more than the 40 hours per week she was compensated for, has not completed any more training, and has ceased attempting to mingle with coworkers and coworkers.

The same person stated that she felt more invested in her career and received more favorable comments after deciding not to overwork and avoid stressful situations. According to the Wall Street Journal, she now works as a full-time freelance virtual assistant in her birthplace of Florida, where she makes around 75% of her prior pay.

Zaid Khan, a 24-year-old New York engineer, is one of the most referenced creators of TikTok videos on Quiet Quitting that went viral. He defined this attitude to work as an unwillingness to accept the idea that "work must be your life" and that "productivity" is the most important thing. And he clarified that this does not imply breaking one's commitments.

Khan's perspective was echoed by Josh Bittinger, a 32-year-old director of market research at a consulting business, who told the Wall Street Journal that asking individuals to quiet leave did not imply promoting sloth at work. He means encouraging people to enjoy their spare time or vacation without checking their email, and to avoid working till burnout, work-related stress syndrome, and emotional weariness, which are common in highly connected industries.

Many individuals are perplexed after reading about quiet resignation, according to the New York Times. They are perplexed as to why a special term is required "to convey something as mundane as doing your work." Others say they wish they could do the bare minimum and be done with it, but they are afraid of being discriminated against because of their race or gender. Finally, there are others, such as physicians and teachers, whose vocation makes it more difficult to create clear boundaries, both in terms of time and commitment.

Gabrielle Judge, a 25-year-old employee at a technology business in Denver, told the New York Times that one of the consequences of Quiet Quitting is that it causes some people to be passive-aggressive in the office and cooperate less with coworkers, which will ultimately damage everyone's productivity. "Not everything is about you. "You are part of a team, you are part of a department," Judge remarked, emphasizing the need of adopting responsible attitudes first.

Several observers argue that, in any event, it is best to mitigate the negative impacts of Quiet Quitting by avoiding celebrating the culture of weariness and instead attempting to increase communication inside organizations. Increasing people's job engagement, according to Axios writer Erica Pandey, should not necessitate sacrificing their work-life balance. It should also not need a loss in flexibility on the part of managers and executives, which would likely "convert Quiet Quitting into true resignations" in the case of remote work.

Thank you for reading.

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Wero