Are You Quietly Quitting?

by Paige Cohen, Senior Editor

Have you heard? Quiet quitting is totally trending right now. At least in the U.S., it seems to be one of the hottest topics on career TikTok, Twitter, and in business media outlets.

If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase, it basically describes someone who does exactly what’s required of them at work and signs off at the end of the day. That is, someone who says, “You’re paying me to do this and so that is what I will do—nothing more."

Quiet quitting has spiked a bit of controversy in the corporate world. On the one hand, some people associate it with laziness, entitlement, and passive aggression toward employers. Others see it as a way to battle burnout, draw boundaries between their jobs and identities, and reject hustle culture. This is especially true for entry-level workers, who have historically been expected to give 110% despite being underpaid.

It’s challenging to find an article that doesn’t attribute quiet quitting to the work ethic, beliefs, and values of younger workers. As a millennial, my mind reverts to the cacophony of “think pieces” that came out when I was first entering the workforce—calling us entitled, selfish, narcissistic, lazy, and so on—all because we worked differently than the generations before us.

Knowing this, I ask: Why are we still approaching each other with skepticism instead of curiosity? What would happen if more of us were asking different questions?

Instead of, “Which generation is quiet quitting ?” what if more of us wondered, “Who has the privilege to participate ?” Instead of, “How do we get people to work harder ?” what if we asked, “How can we make work more manageable and more equitable for all?”

I don’t know if I’m pro or con quiet quitting and all the nuances that come with it—which go beyond the generational, and involve racial and class elements as well. I do know that I am pro having work-life balance. I am pro working smarter instead of harder. I am pro equity and inclusivity.

I’m open to seeing where this trend will lead, and what it may teach us about ourselves, the systems we operate within, and our willingness to push for positive change at work and in each other. How do you feel about it?

Here's an article that I'd like to share with you all this week: A Guide to Setting Better Boundaries by?Joe Sanok.

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