Quiet Quitting: Why millennials strive to protect their work-life balance
Quiet Quitting has become a new reality for many working millennials. Source: MidiLibre
“Quiet Quitting” What is it and how has it become one of the most talked about online trends of the year?
So much so that Collins Dictionary has added it to their ‘words of the year’ list making it an up and coming buzzword for the workplace.
Definition of ’quiet quitting’
quiet quitting
in British English
(ˌkwaɪət ˈkwɪtɪŋ )
NOUN informal
- the practice of doing no more work than one is contractually obliged to do, esp in order to spend more time on personal activities
- the practice of doing little or no work while being present at one’s place of employment
Unsurprisingly, Gen-z and millennials are at the forefront of this trend recognising that they too, deserve to have a work life balance. With #quietquitting trending on twitter since August 2022. Generating over 1.2million searches on websites largely populated by Gen-Zers like Tiktok.
Quiet Quitting involves employees working just enough to get the job done. Going above and beyond for employers is a thing of the past as millennials opt for a healthy work-life balance.
The term refers to a widespread feeling of workers who are feeling burnt out due to putting in long hours. In the interest of keeping their own job, they decide to quit quietly by completing only what is expected of them to do without exceeding the boss’ expectations.
This graph shows the number of time ‘Quiet Quitting’ was searched in the last year. The term ‘Quiet Quitting’ is the blue line. The term ‘Quiet Firing’ is the orange line.
This phenomenon has been gaining traction on social media since August 2022. In light of the pandemic and cost of living crisis many millennials are feeling burnt out and feeling dissatisfied or underappreciated in the workplace.
Concerns about who is expected to do this unpaid work are rising along with the trend. For the most part, studies have shown women are asked to participate in extra work-related tasks such as organising annual social events or taking on overtime in the office.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, many key workers became dissatisfied with their working conditions and work-life balance, having spent significant time dealing with the public in dangerous working conditions.
The growing trend among young people shows that they have adopted higher standards, as they are more prepared to reject poor working conditions than previous generations. Perhaps they are finding it harder to re-adjust to post-pandemic employment having suffered the worst in these times.
Have they adopted the mentality of “Work smarter not harder?” Or are businesses piling on the workload to meet consumerist demands, putting more pressure on staff and making it harder to achieve a work-life balance?
Studies show that millennials and the younger generations have their mental well-being and job satisfaction as a higher priority in comparison to the generations of the past. The age-old saying, “get your head down, and get on with it.” is becoming less relevant to the new generation of employees.
Quiet Quitting is replacing the ‘Big Quit’ trend in which employees massively resign from their jobs. Source: JDD
Millennials are approaching job searches with this same mentality in mind. Many are looking for remote positions that offer flexible hours and holidays. Perhaps, they are the first generation to recognise that a work-life balance is more important than being overworked and living paycheck to paycheck.
However, not everyone agrees with this new approach to the workplace. Career coach, Anna Papalia created a social media post as she believes “Quiet Quitting” will only be a detriment to yourself and your career. Saying you are leaving the door open for “younger, hungrier, career-driven individuals.” who enjoy their job and are willing to prioritise their work in order to succeed. “I think that if you’re tempted to quit, the real question you should be asking yourself is ‘why?’”
If you are a manager, or perhaps you have quiet quitters on your team. Having a conversation with your colleagues could boost morale and pave the way for open conversations about employee well-being and productivity. Perhaps you might find some grey areas that do need to change in your workplace.
Some businesses (over 100 companies) in the UK have permanently converted into four day working weeks in exchange for five days. Coincidence? I think not. With growing backlash about out of date five day working weeks. Businesses who have trailed four day working weeks have found that they are able to maintain company standards and increase efficiency among staff. An added weekend day motivates employees to wrap up their jobs, respond to emails in a shorter time frame.
Will this trend reshape the workplace dynamic for years to come? Or will ‘Quiet Quitters’ get loudly fired as employers’ expectations fail to be met? Time will tell.
