Quiet quitting
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Quiet quitting is an application of work-to-rule, in which employees work within defined work hours and engage in work-related activities solely within those hours. Despite the name, the philosophy of quiet quitting is not connected to quitting a job outright, but rather doing precisely what the job requires.[1] Proponents of quiet quitting also refer to it as acting your wage.[2]
History
There are no verifiable sources as to who coined the phrase,[3] but it became popular during 2022, mostly through the social video platform TikTok.[4]
Although the term quiet quitting was popularised in 2022,[5] aspects of quiet quitting have existed in the workplace and popular culture for much longer. The film Office Space (1999) depicts a character engaging in quiet quitting; in the film, Ron Livingston's character Peter Gibbons abandons the concept of work entirely and does the bare minimum required of him.[6]
In April 2021, a movement in China arose known as tang ping ("lying flat").[7] Tang ping shares many common characteristics with quiet quitting.[citation needed]
In 2022, quiet quitting experienced a surge in popularity in numerous publications following a viral TikTok video[8] which was inspired by a Business Insider article.[9] That same year, Gallup found that roughly half of the U.S. workforce were quiet quitters.[10]
Underlying philosophy
The term "quiet quitting" has different shades of meaning depending on the source. While individual contributors might think in terms of otherwise "engaged workers setting reasonable boundaries", their employers might see them instead as "slackers who are willfully underperforming".[11]
Another perspective differentiates "quiet quitting" from "work-to-rule", positing that the primary objective of quiet quitting is not to disrupt the workplace, but rather to avoid occupational burnout and to pay more attention to one's mental health and personal well-being.[7]
Quiet firing
The opposite of 'quiet quitting' is 'quiet firing', in which an employer deliberately offers only a minimum wage and benefits and denies any advances in the hope that an unwanted employee would quit.[12][13] The phrase could also mean employers reducing the scope of a worker's responsibilities to encourage them to quit voluntarily.[11]
Quiet hiring
"Quiet hiring" is another term that has been used to describe a strategy by employers to give additional responsibilities and unpaid extra workload to hard-working employees.[14]
See also
References
- ^ Multiple sources:
- Tapper, James (2022-08-06). "Quiet quitting: why doing the bare minimum at work has gone global". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- Bakshi, Pema. "In Defence Of 'Quiet Quitting' Your Job". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- Scott, Ellen (2022-07-29). "Could 'quiet quitting' your job be the answer to burnout? What you need to know". Metro. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- Yang, Lindsay Ellis and Angela (2022-08-12). "If Your Co-Workers Are 'Quiet Quitting,' Here's What That Means". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ "'Business'". "The Economist". 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
- ^ Hitt, Tarpley. "The Libertarian Who Supposedly Coined "Quiet Quitting"". Gawker. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
- ^ "If Your Co-Workers Are 'Quiet Quitting,' Here's What That Means". Wall Street Journal. 12 August 2022.
- ^ "'I was working 60 hours a week so I quiet quit'". 30 August 2022.
- ^ Albom, Mitch (2022-08-28). "Mitch Albom: The only thing new about quiet quitting is the name". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
- ^ a b Kolev, Galin (2022-08-16). "What Is "Quiet Quitting" (And Should You Join The Trend)". Officetopics.com. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
- ^ Teitell, Beth (2022-09-16). "As quiet quitting goes viral, it's turning into the pumpkin spice of 2022". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
- ^ Seward, Zachary M. (October 26, 2022). "The guy who inspired the 'quiet quitting' movement is back to working 50 hours a week". Quartz. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- Ito, Aki (March 2, 2022). "'My company is not my family': Fed up with long hours, many employees have quietly decided to take it easy at work rather than quit their jobs". Business Insider. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Harter, Jim (2022-09-06). "Is Quiet Quitting Real?". Gallup.com. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
- ^ a b Miller, Karla L. (2022-09-08). "Actually, we've been 'quiet quitting' and 'quiet firing' for years". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- ^ Miller, Karla L. (September 1, 2022). "After 'quiet quitting,' here comes 'quiet firing'". Business. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ Borchers, Callum (29 September 2022). "Employers strike back at 'Quitters'". The Wall Street Journal. pp. A12.
- ^ Breen, Amanda (2022-09-09). "Google's 'Quiet Hiring' Method Is Bad News for 'Quiet Quitters'". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2022-09-13.