Is it putting down your papers silently or slipping your resignation letter under your boss’s door and avoid talking to him entirely?
Well, no it is not. Quiet quitting is the latest trend among Gen Z workers owing to Global burnout. Experts say that 52% of the global workforce is burnt out. It started with the “Work from home” culture during the pandemic when our offices intruded into our personal spaces. Those huge backlogs, late night calls caused the burnout. And now as a result workers across the globe have started Quiet Quitting.
What does Quiet Quitting actually mean? It means quietly withdrawing and disengaging from work and doing the bare minimum. Not showing enthusiasm to go over and above, performing below average or just the average so that you stay on the job. While this is exactly the kind of behaviour employees are not expected to show, it has now become a global trend. We may be even part of the trend and not know entirely.
If you’re quite quitting at your workplace, stop it right now! Now, before you decide to close this page and decide not to read this article further, give it a few minutes to understand why I say this.
I understand the pandemic has taken a toll on us both physically and emotionally. And hence people are withdrawing not just from work but also from a lot of things. So, the question we need to ask ourselves is, while it is understandable, is it right? While not biting more than you can chew is good, spending time with your family is good, not stretching over the weekend is good, and not being flexible is not a very good quality to have, especially if you aim to grow in your career. And remember over a period of time such behaviour will be noticed and reflect poorly on your appraisal. This is exactly the kind of thing that will negatively impact your bonus and hike. So, what is the right thing to do?
1) If you are tired of constantly overworking and cannot take it anymore, talk to your manager.
2) Take a break, rejuvenate and upscale yourself and come back to work to give your 100%.
3) If you are not enjoying what you’re doing, then switch.
If none of the above work then quit but do not quite quit. While it is good to stay up to date with global trends, one needs to be wise about which one to adopt.