Today, “Quiet Quitting” can be found on social media and in conversations within the workforce. But what does it indeed mean? To understand the term itself, we must first understand its true definition. According to Xpert HR’s article “Quiet Quitting”: 5 Things for Employers to Think About, “…the term has been coined to mean an individual doing the basics to fulfill the requirements of their role but nothing more. In other words, the worker:

• Sticks to the functions described in their job description;
• Works only their contractual working hours; and
• Avoids helping their employer out with additional tasks outside their usual remit (which they might previously have done for little or no additional reward or recognition).”

Aimee Picchi with CBS MoneyWatch suggests, “What everyone can agree on is that the term doesn’t mean that an employee has quit, but rather that they are setting boundaries at work and refusing to go above and beyond in completing their duties.” Elise Freedman, the senior client partner at Korn Ferry, claims, “‘… but really what quiet quitting means is someone who has decided, ‘I want to prioritize my well-being overall and things outside of work.’ ” 

The term itself, at face value, is very much the polar opposite of its true meaning. With the phrase reaching trending status through the likes of TikTok and other social media platforms, the question remains, is this trending topic, indeed, new? One would argue that the more recent generations within the workforce have started this “resistance,” however, evidence confirms the origin of this statement has been active in the workplace for quite some time.

According to Xpert HR’s article, a similar response thrives in the realm of unionization. “While the concept has recently been picking up steam on social media and in the press, it is nothing new. For example, “work to rule” is a well-recognized trade union tactic in the context of industrial action short of a strike in which employees do exactly what an employer’s rules require, and no more, for added leverage.” 

Michael Hiltzik, a business columnist for the Los Angeles Times, has a personalized connection with the “trending” phrase. ‘Many years ago, when I was just starting my career as a daily newspaper reporter for pay, my youthful colleague and I had a remedy for the occasional feelings of burnout we all experienced. We would call in sick when we weren’t, you know, really sick. We called this, with a wink among ourselves, “taking a mental health day.” Imagine my surprise to discover that I was decades ahead of the times. What I was doing then was “quiet quitting.’ 

Kathy Kacher, the founder of Career/ Life Alliance Services, stated to The Washington Post that “quiet quitting” is a new term for an old concept: employee disengagement. … But it’s arriving in a moment of “unprecedented burnout”… It’s coming in on the heels of the “Great Resignation.”

With Quiet Quitting becoming more prevalent in today’s workforce, it is essential to recognize the signs proactively instead of instituting reactive responses with your employees. Xpert HR’s “Quiet Quitting” article lists the following signs to recognize Quiet Quitting at work:

1. A reduction in productivity or a slowdown in the pace at which the worker meets objectives/targets;
2. A reluctance, or repeated failure, to attend meetings (particularly hybrid/remote meetings);
3. Disengagement from group activities (for example ideas sessions or team social events);
4. A change in attitude or enthusiasm (for example an increase in negative comments about their employer);
5. A decrease in initiative-taking (for example waiting to be given work in circumstances in which their workload does not fill their working hours); and
6. Becoming less available to colleagues or customers (for example a noticeable reluctance to answer emails, internal messages or phone calls).

Are you concerned about your employees actively “Quiet Quitting?” Are you in need of resources to navigate this ongoing trend? Clarity HR can help.

Written by: Stephanie Calhoun

September 27, 2022

Sources

1. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-quiet-quitting/
2. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-08-25/quiet-quitting-is-just-a-new-name-for-an-ancient-reality
3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/08/21/quiet-quitting-what-to-know/
4. https://www.xperthr.com/commentary-and-insights/quiet-quitting-5-things-for-employers-to-think-about/51937/?cmpid=NLC|USAG|HUEDC-2022-Editors_Choice_Newsletter|0921&sfid=7014G000000j2mP