Why ‘quiet quitting’ is a terrible idea

Young Australians have adopted a new work motto: Don't quit, be lazy instead.

Young Australians have adopted a new work motto: Don't quit, be lazy instead.

Young Australian workers have been sternly advised to avoid “quiet quitting”, with experts providing productive alternatives for employees to get what they want.

Quiet quitting, which has recently kicked off on TikTok, is when a worker only does the bare minimum of their job description to avoid burnout, rather than going above and beyond for their employer.

"You're not outright quitting your job, but you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond," one user put it. "You're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life.”

@zkchillin

On quiet quitting #workreform

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Edith Cowan University Associate Professor Ben Farr-Wharton told The Oz employees were fed up with hard work having struggled through the pandemic, and were crippling under the pressure of the rising cost of living. 

“Everyone worked harder during Covid, in many cases a lot harder, and are now feeling disenfranchised because we haven’t had a real pay rise as a nation for 10 years” Farr-Wharton, who's from ECU's School of Management, said. 

“Everyone is feeling the social contract between business and society has started to break down - where inflation is rising but pay rises aren’t. 

“With inflation going up, people are working the same hours and getting less money at the end of the week to sustain their lifestyle.

“So, they’re likely to only want to work the hours they’re being paid, not go any further.” 

@loewhaley

Toodaloo! #wfh #relatable #boundaries

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Quiet quitting has arisen as an alternative to The Great Resignation, where 1.3 million people over the past year changed jobs, the highest annual job mobility rate since 2012.

Rather than move jobs, however, quiet quitting allows someone to stay in their role, taking a back seat instead.

But University of Sydney Senior Lecturer James Donald, who specialises in work and organisational studies, said employees should prioritise communication with their bosses before mentally “checking out”. 

“The last thing an employer should want is to quietly slip away, and check out of a job without having a discussion first” he said. 

Dr Donald said employees hoping for a pay rise or a promotion shouldn’t “fade away”, but rather than their intentions known to their employer.

“Have a conversation with your boss about what’s going on for you at work. It’s 100% the responsibility of both sides to overcome the issue if you’re feeling burnt out, rather than an employee slipping through the cracks.”