I recently saw a few articles talking about Quiet Quitting. From what I could gather it meant
Quiet Quitting: A new term for the ancient art of slacking your way to a paycheck
At first I saw it as a negative thing and my mind wandered to those I had worked with in the past that maybe fell into this pattern but the more I thought about it, the more I began to think maybe it’s not as negative as is being made out and that actually there are some good points to quiet quitting and that I might have been doing this for the past 2 years.
Coasting
First, lets look at what quiet quitting could mean. We often say when someone is leaving a role that they are coasting or have checked out. It’s seen as a negative and causes a lot of bother and resentment for those that are still in the role and working hard. I’ve seen a few over the years doing it and you just wish they’d go, I guess that’s the point really. When you know you are going, there is little to keep you motivated when you are working in a role you don’t want to.
However in this case it seems that it’s different to leaving and more a case of doing the bare minimum.
Going above and beyond
I’ve always been someone that has worked hard. First in and last out of the door, always around to help out and many a late night or weekend has been spent working. I used to live on very little sleep and with no real hobbies would often spend hours working to fill the time. This has changed as I got older and kids came along but I’ve always been a hard worker.
I used to question those that turned up, did their 7 hrs and switched off for the night. I thought they were not working as hard as I was.
Lockdown and Covid came and this changed my way of working somewhat. Firstly, I was now classed as remote with no commute which meant I had a few hours space each night to do something and with the nice weather and light evenings, I would go for walks or do the garden and this stayed to the point where I spent less time online and working.
I found myself not responding to messages more often and putting myself first. I volunteered less and it didn’t bother me in the slightest. I started to question was I not working as hard as I could and then I realised that whilst I am working, I was working as hard as I could but I was able to switch off a lot easier.
I thought back to those I questioned a while back for doing the 9-5 and I realised I was wrong. Of course there might be those that just turn up and don’t do a great job but I look back and see those that treated the job as a job worked hard just like me but knew how to switch off and prioritise other things in their life.
So have I quiet quitted?
I think the name is misleading and negative. I’ve just learnt to prioritise what’s important in my life at the right time. I still work as hard as I possibly can in the job I love, I take it very seriously but I also dedicate real time to the other things I enjoy too. And more importantly, I try to focus on the things I can have a real impact on and let others do the same.
Further reading
Guardian: Quiet quitting: why doing the bare minimum at work has gone global