Quitting quietly is the latest buzzword for leaving the workplace

I leave work at 5pm, do only my assigned routine, limit chat with colleagues, and never work overtime.

These are the hallmarks of “quiet quitting,” a term coined to describe how people approach work and professional life to combat burnout.

The phrase wasn’t really meant to lead to his resignation, but last week a TikTok video caught a virus.

“I recently learned the term ‘Quiet Quit’. It doesn’t mean quitting your job completely, it means quitting more than that,” creator Zayed Khan said in the video. view.

The word also resonates with me. The phrase “quietly quit” is ubiquitous and conjures up images of being lazy or lazy, while others say this approach frees up time to spend with family and friends and take care of yourself.

In short, a new approach to life beyond the workplace. But there is a harsher reality behind this trend.

Employees want to be fairly compensated for their extra time and work, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates professional burnout and mental health issues. Experts say the ball is squarely in the court of employers, managers, and executives.

New buzzword, same point

The term “quit quietly” may be a new invention, but the thinking behind it is not. For example, the term “Work to Rule” describes a labor practice in which an employee strictly performs the work specified in the contract without undertaking additional work.

On the other hand, the derogatory term “retirement” (or RIP) suggests that the employee is doing the bare minimum to avoid being fired while waiting for retirement benefits and mailing it in. .

Sarah Rose Warner, a retired St. John’s tax accountant who “quietly quit” about 30 years ago, said, “I’m kind of laughing because it’s common knowledge to me.

“I’ve learned from my own experience that if you’re paid by the hour, you might get a few extra bucks by always going above and beyond, but that doesn’t necessarily win the loyalty of your employer. No,” Warner said.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a massive economic movement, the “Great Resignation.” This has seen people quit or change jobs as they reassessed their relationship with work during a life-altering health crisis.

A May 2022 survey by RBC Insurance suggested that more than a third of recently retired Canadians aged 55 to 75 have retired earlier than planned. Another third decided to retire early because of the pandemic.

Statistics Canada reported in March that no mass resignations were actually happening in the country, but job openings were up 60% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels. said.

Both Quiet Quit Smoking and Big Resignation mark a notable cultural shift from the early to mid-2010s, when “hustle culture” paved the way for “grind” and “girl boss.” We believe such efforts have made employees more attractive to management, which in turn has helped them move up the corporate ladder faster and generate more income.

Watch | Canadians are changing jobs because of the pandemic.

As the pandemic enters its third year, experts say remote and hybrid models have taken hold, prompting employees to reassess the time they spend commuting and working overtime, generally investing in low-paying, low-compensation jobs. doing.

“I think a lot of people, especially younger people, are in more transactional jobs,” says Tim Magwood, CEO of 1-DEGREE/Shift, a talent consulting firm in Toronto.

“I mean, just a job and a paycheck, no real learning,” he said. ‘No real sense of purpose’

Karen K. Ho, a freelance business and culture reporter based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, found that most employees “work in a system” where constantly going above and beyond isn’t rewarding. I have it in sight.

“Hustle culture has repeatedly been shown to be beneficial only to companies and their managers through bonuses, increased productivity, increased income and profits, etc.

Employees who drive productivity gains at lower levels earn the same amount of money, but are said to have a “baseline to meet and exceed expectations.”

Employer is responsible

Some companies are demanding that their employees return to working in the office, a point of contention in its own right. For example, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made headlines in June when he told company employees he would have to lose his job if he didn’t return to the office.

“We’ve seen people be productive at home,” Ho said. “We have found it to be beneficial for many people who are neurodiverse, have disabilities, or have caregiving responsibilities, whether they are older adults such as parents or young children. “

Werner, who chose to scale back in her 30s because the 50- to 60-hour workweek took a toll on her mental health, said one employer wanted her to walk instead of walk so she could work more hours. He said he suggested that he commute by bicycle.

“This was long before anyone was talking about jobs. [and] I used the term work-life balance,” she said.

The term Quiet Quit suggests a shortage of employees, not employers, so it’s also drawn criticism from people who generally support the thinking behind it.

Quitting smoking quietly is a misconception, according to Ho. It often doesn’t account for the fact that people are seeing food bills, fuel costs and house prices go up without a pay rise, she said.

“You are literally stagnant as a result of no income growth and no promotions. That’s why so many people are quitting their jobs,” she said.

Some employees advocate policies, benefits and working conditions to enhance work-life balance. During the pandemic, Ontario advocates lobbied for a “right to disconnect” bill. The law, which is now in effect, requires most employers to have written policies outlining how workers can leave work outside of working hours.

But critics say there are obvious loopholes where employers can profit from vaguely wording the policy, and it doesn’t work as well as it should.

After the pandemic-induced workplace shifts, executives who expect employees to meet strict standards of work ethics have had a rude awakening, Magwood said.

“We really have to adapt and the one-size-fits-all doesn’t work anymore,” he said.

Werner agrees that the pandemic has given people space to rethink their lives.

“There are just fewer workers to replace them as baby boomers retire,” she said. “I think young people are smart enough to realize that it makes their labor valuable and gives them a little more freedom of choice.”