Written by: Janey Howl, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What is quiet quitting? The Urban Dictionary defines quiet quitting as “when physically, you still turn up to work but mentally, you check out and do the absolute minimum to get by”. More than a withdrawal of discretionary effort, it is a choice to no longer take pride in your work. As a coping strategy often born of desperation, quiet quitting is not a good idea. Here are ten reasons why.
Why are you quiet quitting?
There are many reasons for quiet quitting. A feeling of overwhelm is often prevalent. Overwhelmed by lack of time; increasing job demands; unreasonable workload; lack of appreciation; a hostile boss; a barely-coping boss; a toxic work environment; inadequate tools and resources; no clear expectations; lack of feedback; no performance management; no career development; no prospects; and so on. Quiet quitters often compare themselves with other people, concluding that “it’s not fair”, and may identify as “overworked and underpaid”. Quiet quitters often report that they have “tried everything” and “no one listens”. Most significantly of all, quiet quitters experience no feeling of satisfaction for a job well done at the end of the working day.
Quiet quitting USA and UK
Quiet quitting is a recently growing global phenomenon, rapidly acquiring the veneer of a new normal. In the US for example, at least 50% of the workforce are quiet quitters, according to a recent Gallup survey. And they are in addition to the disruptive presence of 18% loud quitters. Similarly in the UK, with Google searches in August for ‘quiet quitting’ seeing an increase of 18,000%. TikTok reports an audience of over 155 million video views, increasing daily, on the topic of quiet quitting. Quiet quitting is certainly prevalent but that does not make it OK. Quiet quitting is not OK. And the reason why it’s not OK is because quiet quitting has consequences. And the person who gets hurt most is... you. Not your boss, or your organisation, or your industry – but you. Yes, quiet quitting is in reality a cry for help. In fact, it’s a question, not an answer, or a remedy, or a solution. Accept quiet quitting as information, as a call to action.
What will quiet quitting achieve?
Ask yourself, where am I going with this? How long am I going to hold this position? Quiet quitting ‒ driven by desperation, or anger, or revenge, or whatever ‒ is not a sustainable strategy. It is a holding position; a pause, an opportunity for rest, reset, reframe. It is not a winning strategy, rather a space in which to create one.
What happens when you quietly quit?
Notice how you feel. Relief? Often quiet quitters feel better ‒ for a time; but over time they begin to feel worse, as a sense of disempowerment and hopelessness sets in. Think of that first glass of wine, the feeling of release, the drink that you celebrate, the one that reminds you of who you are. That is the euphoria of first quiet quitting. And quiet quitting over time, without affirmative action, becomes like the empty wine bottle; the one you drank alone without noticing, a reminder of the fear and loathing of self-medication. Also, appreciate and celebrate that for workaholics, quiet quitting is often the first step towards recovery.
Notice also the reactions of other people: people in the workplace, people you care about, people who care about you. What if no one notices? Or what if people notice and choose not to care?
10 reasons why quiet quitting is not OK
Quiet quitting is shooting the messenger. The message is that we do not like where we are, how we are being, what is required of us, or what we are doing. The status quo is not sustainable. Receive the message; reset, revaluate and take affirmative action.
Beware. Quiet quitting may be a staging post to healing and recovery, but it is also a slippery slope. As the darkness of disillusion gets a grip and the mist of job fog descends, it is easy to drift and lose your bearings. Inhabit quiet quitting as a holding place while you work out a better strategy for your working life.
Be grateful. Quiet quitting is a signal that you have reset your boundaries. Remember: boundaries not barricades. Think: temporary, flexible, structures not set in concrete. It is not all or nothing. Take small actions; experimenting to protect what you truly value whether it is time, professional reputation, appreciation, social capital, integrity… whatever.
Quiet quitting is passive-aggressive behaviour. With each passive-aggressive act, a small part of your soul withers, and somewhere along the line you will have to forgive yourself. Save effort, travel light. Moving past quiet quitting is one less piece of baggage to drag into the future. Your future self will thank you.
Quiet quitting is a conscious decision to devalue your professional currency ‒ how you show up in the workplace. And if you are not investing, your career capital is eroding, at risk of sending your currency into freefall.
When you choose to quiet quit, to disconnect from your job, you are choosing to perform your job tasks with an absence of love, depriving yourself of the joy and simple self-affirmation of a task well done. Identify an element of work that you enjoy, or at least dislike the least. Put something extra in somewhere, every working day, to avoid creating a vicious cycle of depletion.
Quiet quitting is more than just a withdrawal of discretionary effort. It is a choice, often as an act of self-preservation, to disconnect from your purpose, your values, your soul. Quiet quitting cannot be forever. Find a small daily act to accomplish with love. Watering the plant on your desk, taking time to listen to a colleague. It all counts. The love that you give is the love you receive.
Quiet quitting is falling out of love with your job. Work is a relationship, the relationship with a nebulous “they” who provide money in exchange for your talents and money. Personal relationship break-ups are frequently characterised by “it’s not you, it’s me”. In contrast, the quiet quitters of workplace break-up tell me “It’s not about me, it’s about them”.
Never forget that quiet quitting is a cry for help. It is sometimes viewed as an act of self-harm that hurts you more than anyone else. Over time it damages your view of yourself, disempowering and shrinking your self-esteem, your self-worth, your talents and your expectations. Quiet quitting is akin to hatred, like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The “other” in this case being the organisation.
Quiet quitting ‒ really? Is that the best you’ve got? The best you are? The best of you?
Quiet quitting – the solution
Quiet quitting is disconnecting from your passion, your purpose, and your life force. It is a coping strategy for when your job does not nourish your soul, but you choose to still show up. Not everyone has meaningful work, or glittering career trajectories. Perhaps your job is a dead-end, or simply a staging post to somewhere better? Do not let it become the place where your hopes and dreams have gone to die. So; remind me why you are quiet quitting. Because you deserve better? You do indeed. And if you’re better than this, you are better than quiet quitting.
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choice by choice
Executive Coach and Business Psychologist
Janey Howl, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Janey is a transformational coach and psychologist with decades of experience in helping people to live their best lives, transitioning from ordinary to extraordinary in ways that are simple but not necessarily easy. She combines mastery of three distinct psychological disciplines – cognitive, business and health psychology – with considerable expertise as a leadership coach, corporate board room facilitator, psychometrician, and organisational consultant. Janey’s deep understanding of human potential and vulnerabilities, is enriched by curiosity; by experimentation with breathwork, meditation, horse whispering, and metaphysics; and by multiple life lessons learnt the hard way. Thousands of coaching clients across six continents and 68 countries celebrate their results and appreciate her unique, eclectic, pragmatic, and multi-faceted approach. Author of the forthcoming “Wounds into Wisdom”, Janey’s mission is empowering people to transform their lives one choice at a time.
