Is "quiet quitting," a trend gaining traction on social media that encourages workers to diminish their enthusiasm at work and refrain from exceeding expectations, the second-rate version of actually resigning?
While every generation brings its own attitude to work, the concept of quiet quitting is causing a growing divide between professionals, largely due to how they interpret the idea. Some see it as phoning it in, others see it as better and firmer work-life boundaries. But many are strongly opinionated about it either way, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 25.
"Yes, we shouldn't be defined by our work. But at the same time, if work is at least eight hours of our day, are we saying these are hours we're willing to simply go through the motions, with the inevitable boredom that's bound to ensue?" Arianna Huffington, founder of health and wellness startup Thrive Global, wrote in a LinkedIn post that drew thousands of reactions. "The Great Resignation is still going on. If you're not engaged by your job, there's less stigma to simply switching jobs and finding one that motivates you."
Others told The Journal that quiet quitting is the lesser version of the better solution: flat-out quitting. Kristin Hancock, an Indianapolis-based communications professional, said there have been times in her career when she was dissatisfied with a job and wanted to coast, but coasting actually felt even more frustrating and her work even less meaningful. "For people who are like me, the only other option is leaving," she said.
Some say quiet quitting will corrode workplace cultures because it's demoralizing for efficient employees to see others phone it in without penalty. "It's not about the quiet quitters. It's about everybody else and the unfairness that occurs there," Amy Mosher, chief people officer at HR software company Isolved, told The Journal.