OPINION:
Oh hey, did you know that "doing your job" is now called "quitting"? Me neither but here we are.
The "quiet quitting" trend is all over TikTok and other social media these days and I've just got one super quick question about this: What stage of capitalist hell is this where we've decided to rebrand "doing the job you're paid to do" as a negative thing?
A bit of context, in case you're lucky enough to be out of this particular loop: after a TikTok video went viral recently, "quiet quitting" became a widely discussed topic (I'm way too pedantic to call it a buzzword since it is, in fact, two words). The #quietquitting hashtag on TikTok has more than 35 million views (and counting) and there are many news articles and op eds (like this one, yes) being written about it.
But what is actually "quiet quitting"? "Quiet quitting" is essentially the new term used to describe the not-so-new notion of doing exactly what you are paid to do, without going "above and beyond".
I first heard the term a few months ago when one of my favourite YouTubers announced she had quit her job (#greatresignation) after spending some time quiet quitting. She explained what that involved: showing up to work on time, no earlier, doing exactly what was expected of her (not more, not less), leaving work on time, no later. In short, doing what she was paid to do which should, in theory, be the whole essence of having a job.
In reality, years of "hustle culture" mentality led to people believing that having a job was more than just doing what they're paid to do and involved, instead, a much deeper commitment to their work, often to the detriment of their personal lives and despite not getting paid an extra cent for it.
Now, off the back of the great resignation and after years of living in a pandemic, mentalities are shifting. Overworked and underpaid, employees experiencing unprecedented levels of burnout are rejecting hustle culture, recalibrating their effort levels, while still showing up and doing their jobs.
THEY CALL IT QUIET QUITTING BUT IT'S REALLY JUST DOING YOUR JOB REQUIREMENTS DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS PEOPLE DESERVE A GOOD WORK/LIFE BALANCE AND NOT ANSWERING A WORK EMAIL AT 10PM ISN'T QUITTING IT'S JUST BEING A NORMAL HUMAN WHO HAS A LIFE AND SETS HEALTHY BOUNDARIES pic.twitter.com/uEto7i42VP
— LinkedIn (@LinkedIn) August 18, 2022
Some employers are reportedly furious at the idea that workers might not want to do work they are not paid to do, and there are already a number of thinkpieces on the internet doing cirque du soleil-level gymnastics to theorise about why, suddenly, "quiet quitting" - ie, doing your job - is bad.
It doesn't help that "quiet quitting" is a very bad name for what is, in fact, a good thing.
As Twitter user Zack Budryk puts it, "the house of cards is so reliant on us doing things we're not paid to do that they had to make up a pejorative for not doing that".
“Quiet quitting” is so funny, the house of cards is so reliant on us doing things we’re not paid to do that they had to make up a pejorative for not doing that
— Zack Budryk (@BudrykZack) August 22, 2022
it’s only “quiet quitting” if it comes from the Champagne region of France otherwise it's just sparkling boundaries
— Adam Karpiak (@Adam_Karpiak) August 24, 2022
"Quiet quitting" has nothing to do with quitting and all to do with setting healthy boundaries for yourself. In fact, many internet users are now suggesting an alternative term for it: "acting your wage".
We have lived and worked through a pandemic and, instead of being so quick to normalise that and carry on, business as usual, it's good to see that we're taking stock and re-assessing the way we do things.
In the absence of actual, concrete change to workers' lives, people who can't afford to quit their jobs are taking small steps to make life a tiny bit better for themselves.
It's got nothing to do with "quitting" - and they shouldn't feel like they have to be "quiet" about it either.