Quiet quitting

Have you heard of ‘quiet quitting’?

We’re apparently attaching this phrase now to those who are attempting to introduce boundaries between life and work. I think it’s an incredibly negative label to be using.

Perhaps you’ve previously gone above and beyond in your job but you’ve realised that’s not actually getting you anywhere, and those “extras” you’ve been busting a gut to achieve aren’t making a promotion or pay rise any closer.

But what’s so bad about these boundaries? ‘Quiet quitting’ infers you’re doing less than you should, when actually you’re doing exactly what you should be doing.

What it feels like to me is making it sound like having a good work / life balance is a bad thing. A negative spin on a positive approach. And that’s how toxic working environments happen, which I’m never a fan of.

Prioritising wellbeing is extremely important and to put an expectation on doing more than is necessary isn’t a sustainable way to engage your staff. It leads to burnout, unrealistic expectations, and people leaving jobs in their droves (hey, shouldn’t I be into this as a recruiter? No, NO John. You like people, remember?).

As one of my contacts said to me “If a company’s business model is built on everyone going ‘above and beyond’ then that business model is broken.” (PREACH) Surely what employers want is their staff doing their job. Sticking to the job description. Simple as.

‘Quiet quitting’ just seems like a made up term by big bad bosses who want to tear down those employees who don’t want to be exploited.

What do you think? Is there a better way to describe someone who is trying to achieve a better work/life balance? I'd love to hear your thoughts to give me a break from my own 😂