Have you heard about “quiet quitting”? It’s a new term for an old phenomenon: doing the absolute minimum at your job… and nothing more.
“Quiet quitting” has become a popular trend among younger workers, who take to TikTok and other social platforms to talk about how they’re coasting in their current jobs, favoring work-life balance, and refusing to invest too much emotion in their careers. Jim Harter, chief scientist for Gallup’s workplace and well-being research, recently told the Wall Street Journal that 54 percent of workers born after 1989 are “not engaged” in their work—meaning they show up, accomplish the bare minimum, and leave; many of these younger workers supposedly don’t feel their work has purpose.
Of course, many workers also feel the term “quiet quitting” has excessively negative connotations. By doing the requirements of their job and refusing to burn themselves out to go above and beyond, they’re simply doing what’s best for them—and feeling happier and more relaxed as a result. Why risk your mental and physical health for an organization that ultimately doesn’t care about you as a person?
With all of that in mind, here’s our poll for this week: Do you believe in the hustle, or do you think there’s something positive to the idea of “quiet quitting”? Please choose one of the options below; we’ll break down the results in a future article:
That hustle culture has trickled down to the employee level. Technologists at tech giants such as Google and Meta are famous for working nutso hours—and those companies offer amenities (such as dinner and laundry services) designed to pin them to their desks for as long as possible. Even at smaller organizations, the need to stay on top of complex technology needs often keeps technologists in the office long after others have left.
While COVID-19 forced many technologists to reconsider their lives and embrace a better work-life balance, it didn’t necessarily curb “hustle culture” at many companies. With “quiet quitting,” it seems like some pushback has arrived. Should companies expect all workers to put in a “little extra effort” as part of their usual workload? Or is it always okay for employees to do what’s expected of them—and nothing more?
