Is Quiet Quitting Just Setting Boundaries?

We’ve all heard about quiet quitting and low engagement lately. What started as a trend seems to be the new normal. As humans, we love to label things as good, bad, high effort, low effort, high performance, and low performance. But what if quiet quitting is just about setting boundaries to adapt to corporate life demands?

Corporate life hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. First, we have a diversity crisis, then a mental health crisis, a burnout crisis, a layoff crisis, sustainability crises, "find your purpose" crises, and let's throw in midlife and existential crises to make things more interesting. Despite some progress since the postindustrial era, corporate improvements can feel like lip service. You might have a Chief Diversity Officer with limited power and budget— still, their efforts make corporations a little bit more welcoming. Some companies offer mental health days, but good luck using them without raising eyebrows. And "unlimited vacation"? It's like an all-you-can-eat buffet, but how much can you actually eat? Illusions sell better than reality.

Job security? Unless you're in government work (which is becoming popular among millennials and Gen Z seeking stability despite low wages), there’s none. The market swings in favor of investors and if against them, and we know what happens then. Millennials, now facing midlife crises, are questioning their purpose and existence. Retirement? Not happening. Working forever seems likely, making purpose-driven work essential for career sustainability.

So, how do you survive corporate America? By setting boundaries, limiting your time and effort at tasks that don’t give you a sense of purpose, and channeling energy into what makes your heart race, whether it’s building an SOP, solving a problem, creating culture, or just having coffee with a coworker having a rough day.

Maybe quiet quitting isn’t quitting. It’s about creating work boundaries to focus on life—family, new skills, or just chilling. Corporate America needs fewer labels, more understanding, less judgment, and more flexibility. Finding the middle ground between high performance and total disengagement isn’t easy. Motivating employees means understanding them and their strengths and how to channel their artistic, poetic, and intellectual veins into corporate goals. It’s about taking the time to know the person, as portrayed here by CEO and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk

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