If you're quiet quitting, you're part of the problem

I’m not a fan of making light of the pathological issues that occur in workplaces.?

So no, I won’t be riding the coattails of the newly coined ‘quiet quitting’ trend.?

But instead exposing its egoic shadow.?

Making quiet quitting sound easy and shaping it as an effective strategy is another way of normalising abuse at work. Being forced to work in a way that makes you weaker or unaligned with your true character, work ethic and mannerisms exposes you and others to maltreatment at work and is how we help mildly out-of-control workplaces go terribly out of control.?

There’s nothing lighthearted about experiencing tyranny at work, especially when it's reached the point of psychological distress, fear and distrust that people feel they have to hide themselves to avoid being in the firing line of workplace toxicity.?

As someone who has always used their skills and experience for good and as I consider myself sensible and honest, I see it as my ethical responsibility to forthrightly confront creeping tyranny no matter where it occurs or by whom. I’m not one for withering into a dark corner; it’s why I work in the spectrum between HR, personal development and DEI.?

It's important to know that if you are quiet quitting, you’ve consciously or unconsciously accepted that your workplace environment is making you mentally or physically weaker. More than likely, you are getting more resentful and more likely to consciously or unconsciously impact others negatively too.? And when I say others, I mean coworkers, friends and loved ones.?

If you’re being swept away by the idea of quiet quitting, it’s time to take stock of how your workplace makes us act and the psychological price of doing nothing.?

Ask yourself, does my workplace make me:??

1. Always speak negatively about my job, manager, coworkers??
2. Regularly choose between my self-respect and doing what is morally right?
3. Dislike people, who call out the tyranny at work despite knowing it's true?
4. Compete rather than collaborate with my coworkers to feel more secure??
5. Snub or disengage from coworkers who leave or call out workplace issues?

If your answer is yes to any of these questions, retreating into a quiet slumber is not the answer. The biggest issue in the workplace (outside of tyranny, of course) is the sensible people who see what is happening and say nothing.?

So here’s what you do instead of quiet quitting:?

?Strategically prepare. Gather as much information about what you do and don’t like about the work environment while continuing to conduct yourself authentically irrespective of the external circumstances.?

Prepare for a new job. Having an exit strategy is good to have, whether you love your job or not. Keep your CV up to date, make good connections, network, and update your skills. If quiet quitting has been your default, finding a professional career or life coach to develop your communication and conflict management skills should be on your to-do list.

Align yourself with thoughts and things that help you grow. Pull yourself away from the screen and connect with friends. Read a book by someone who has worked a job and achieved something other than a viral TikTok post. Get creative, eat better, take up something that gets you moving, sleep, do a sip and paint with your besties if that's your thing.

While quiet quitting might seem like a flex, expressing your boundaries and communicating well is how you’ll truly experience empowerment and less tyranny in your workplace. You’ll unlikely ever encounter a work environment or business that will always make you happy. With all the different personalities, people, perspectives, and peaks and troughs in workloads, you’ll inevitably stumble upon a challenge or two, whomever you work with or wherever you go. Make considered and intentional decisions about where you work and spend your time. With the state of the workplace, there will come a time in your work life when you’ll have to pick your poison? - choosing between staying in a toxic workplace or leaving one quickly to preserve your psychological wellbeing. Both choices require strategy and preparedness.?

What do you think…

Is quiet quitting an intelligent response to workplace issues??

About the author        

Dannique Blake is the Founder of Cultured Insights and has paved her way to becoming a radical HR, people and organisational development specialist. Dannique blends straight-talking HR insights and corporate design and development techniques and works with early-stage and scaling businesses to help new leaders to get out of their own way and reshape their workplace cultures.