If 2017 was the era of the girl boss, then 2022 is the age of making work ‘work’ for you. Yup, there has been a big office vibe shift and now a mentality called ‘quiet quitting’ has gone viral on TikTok.
Quiet quitting became a huge talking point on the app after user @zkchillin explained the concept in a 17-second video, which has racked up three million views so far: ‘I recently learnt about this term called "quiet quitting" where you're not outright quitting your job but you're quitting the idea of goingabove and beyond at work,' he said.
'You're still performing your duties but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture and mentality that work has to be your life. The reality is it's not and your worth as a person is not defined by your productive output.'
Whether turning down an extra project that’s outside your job description or being stricter about answering work messages out of hours, quiet quitting is essentially setting boundaries in the office and not stressing yourself out with needless extra labour.
'I quiet quit six months ago and guess what, same pay. Same recognition, same everything but less stress,' wrote one TikTok user in the comments. 'Then when you do it you realise nothing at work matters and suddenly all the stress vanishes,' added another. 'Even when I do this I'm still outperforming 90 per cent of my co-workers,’ said a third.
While many people subscribe to the quiet quitting mentality, some take issue with the name of the movement. ‘I hate that they’re making it inflammatory by using this language,’ said user @khandiekhisses, ‘but Australia are already seeing the effects. Workers are doing what they’re paid to do and saying to the businesses if you want extra stuff done you need to start paying for it. It’s like a quiet protest but at the same time you’re not endangering your job because you’re literally doing what you signed up to.’
Post-pandemic, many people's approach to work has changed for the better. We’re now demanding betterremote and flexible working options, competitive wages to cope with the cost-of-living crisis and long-lasting job satisfaction. ‘Quiet quitting’ is just the latest trend reflecting the respect we want for our time and work-life balance.
‘If you start doing the bare minimum, they’ll just replace you,’ has long been the threat hanging over employees’ heads, pressuring them to work above and beyond job descriptions and pay grades. But as The Great Resignation has recently shown, employers not employees may need to be the ones worried about being replaced. Many workers – particularly those in industries where there is a labour shortage – have concluded that any company that doesn’t facilitate happiness is no longer somewhere they want to be.