Why I Don’t Think The Phrase Quiet Quitting Is Empowering
And why using it doesn’t make sense
I have seen many posts lately on Instagram and Tik Tok about this new quiet quitting phenomenon.
Quiet quitting is a response to the burdensome demands of employment. It is often linked to employee burnout and involves deliberate disengagement from work. Employees are performing the absolute least necessary and establishing clear limits rather than quitting their employment.
That seems reasonable, right; Wrong? As people who use words, we know they are powerful. How they have used matters as they frame a narrative that can be difficult to reframe.
The concept of work/life balance doesn’t exist for many people as demands on our non-working time by some companies have hit an all-time high. My issue with the quiet quitting narrative is this; no one in this scenario is quitting. It is about doing your job to the best of your ability within your allotted work hours and your job specification. It is doing the job you were hired to do.
Characteristics of Quiet Quitting
Leaving work exactly at the end of one’s shift
