Quiet Quitting Part I: “It’s not me. It’s you.”
A hot topic in business and the human capital world centers around the engagement—or more crucially, the disengagement—of employees.
“Quiet Quitting,” (have you heard of it?! 😉) is a new term that went nutto in the ether after @zaidleppelin posted about the topic on TikTok. Depending on your profession, role and your particular team, this new phenomenon may illicit a “hell yes!” or a big ol’ eye roll followed by sheer terror.
So, let’s take a minute to unpack Quiet Quitting. According to the creator’s original video, “Quiet Quitting” doesn't actually involve quitting. Instead, it’s a mindset and behavior shift that says ‘no’ to hustle culture and reduces the potential for burnout. Employees are "quitting" going above and beyond their job descriptions and declining to do tasks they are not being paid for. They continue to meet the expectations of the role but are choosing not to ‘do more’ at work while prioritizing their personal life and needs. We’re going to say this again…they continue to MEET THE EXPECTATIONS of the job, and they are setting the boundary that they wish not to take on the extra “above and beyond” work.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY EMPLOYEE IS QUIET QUITTING?
Great question. Quiet Quitting may look something like this:
Individuals who once were full of ideas, and openly sharing them, or individuals who traditionally step up first to take on a special project or actively contribute their alternative viewpoints, stop speaking up.
Logging out at 5 pm (or the end of the agreed to business workday) and not logging back in until the start of the next business day.
Not stepping in to help ‘pick up the slack’ if someone else on the team is gone.
Not attending non-mandatory meetings.
Not dropping everything to keep up with last-minute demands.
Taking regular time off and not logging in when taking that time off.
As our own team discussed this topic internally, we concluded that at a base level, Quiet Quitting is simply the act of setting boundaries between the personal and professional, something that is traditionally highly discouraged, even if the employer never says so out loud. This setting/resetting occurs as people redefine what success means for themselves amid several years of unprecedented personal and professional change and challenge. This, in turn, is shifting how individuals see the employment contract between self and employer.
If you have employees whom you believe are Quiet Quitting, the first step is approaching the situation with curiosity and seeking to understand the intention behind the perceived actions. While the intention could, indeed, be teeing up a departure from the company, it could also simply mean they while they appreciate their job, something else in their life (which they do have outside of work, by the way) is of greater importance to them. Knowing your employee’s intentions and “the why” helps you, as a leader, better support your team and plan for the business you are responsible for. Nowhere, at least nowhere we’ve worked, does it state in the employment contract to work that you WILL stay late, show up early, log in from vacation, or attend non-mandatory meetings. Hustle culture is being challenged and we love that here at Upside. Disruption creates necessary space for new ideas, norms, and improved experiences.
Now, depending on your generation’s identity, your own personal filters, and your current leadership style, you can look at Quiet Quitting as super scary or as a great opportunity to connect and engage with people even more deeply. This can actually be your opportunity to create new ways of achieving the outcomes you are responsible for.
We are choosing the view this with a greater upside: Quiet Quitting presents an awesome and unique opportunity to focus additional effort on building and strengthening the connection you have with the individuals you are responsible for and redefine how the work gets done.
Curious if you have team members that are ‘quiet quitting?’ Act like a coach! Sign up for our free list of questions to ask in your next one-on-one.
Wrap It, Upside!
Whether you agree or disagree with how we’ve chosen to address this topic, we welcome alternative viewpoints and other solutions that we may not have thought of. A couple of our core Brand Beliefs are “humans have great capacity for growth” and “working together is greater than working alone.”
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