Mitigating ‘Quiet Quitting’

My article for the October 2022 issue of PRSA Strategies & Tactics is now available: Mitigating 'Quiet Quitting'.

Our third summer of the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a lot of conversation around “Quiet Quitting” and the apparent death of hustle culture across all professions, the PR profession included. Quiet quitting is not, as it might first appear, actually leaving your job. Instead, it signifies performing only what your specific job responsibilities entail — nothing more, nothing less. In other words, fulfilling the job description while setting healthy boundaries — so, why choose a phrase that feels like shaming? Is it possible that the tried-and-true ways of the traditional workplace were unsustainable? In short — yes. In 2020, employees worldwide were thrust into a place of reimagining what work is, what it means to them, and, more important, what it could be. This most certainly led to the Great Resignation, and now, quiet quitting is the leading trending topic in the workforce. Theoretically, it makes sense. Why “go above and beyond” if there isn’t any incentive for it? If remote work is possible, why are employees encouraged to return to the office, adding commuting hours and expenses back onto their days? Why do more work for the same salary?

For employers, this may be an unpleasant reality. Falling productivity levels amid the growing concerns of an economic recession can negatively impact the bottom line. For employees, this approach can also hurt the possibility of upward progression of their careers. Sometimes, it’s simply a decision between A: burning out or B: setting boundaries to safeguard mental health and physical wellness.

There is undoubtedly a generational perspective at play here, too. Work-life balance and consistent engagement often mean more to our younger workforce than loyalty to an organization and the traditional “climbing the corporate ladder” does to our veteran crew. Read more here.