Quiet quitting is nothing new.

Quiet quitting is the newest subject of controversy across social media these days and has now moved into mainstream conversation. It has people divided on whether it's a positive or negative trend, and while I can see merit in both arguments I don't think it's actually too big a deal. Mainly because as Joanne Mallon mentions (link below), everyone has done it at least once in their career, there's just never been a name for it!

Primarily, quiet quitting is an employee no longer going above and beyond within their role for no guaranteed pay rise, promotion or progression. And it's that last bit which is the most crucial part. A high five (if you're lucky) is not a sustainable source of recompense for employees going above and beyond.

All those speaking up saying they've stopped pushing themselves to the brink, either in an attempt to impress the higher ups, or cover short falls in the team aren't saying anything new. It's incredibly common as the moment someone decides to look for a new role, they gradually start to 'quietly quit'. Be that a conscious decision or not, slowly you start to streamline your workday to hit key parts of your role and gear up for your next opportunity.

I feel I should point out, there are of course people who will see this trend as an excuse to do as little as humanly possible when at work. But those people would simply find another reason to not work, if not this 'trend' to do that. They've always existed, the same as 'quietly quitting' has always existed.

To quote my grandmother - "every generation thinks they reinvent the wheel" and I think this is Gen Z's reinvented wheel.