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Employees Stop Going Above And Beyond At Work And Join The “Quiet Quitting” Trend, Here’s What People Have To Say About It (30 Answers)
Poor pay, tremendous workload, a better job offer, plain burnout, and lack of opportunities for career growth are nothing new. While employees in different areas are no strangers to any of these, many of them have recently found a way to rebel.
Quiet quitting! This term refers to workers who deliberately choose to do tasks strictly within their job description to avoid working long hours. Not more, not less. Quiet quitting is said to help an employee deal with burnout, alleviate long-term stress, or give them space while looking for another job.
Since there are still many mixed opinions about quiet quitting, it’s best to listen to what people who have been in those situations or have practiced quiet quitting have to say. “What are your thoughts on ‘Quiet quitting’ / ‘Acting your Wage’?” someone asked on Ask Reddit.
Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting stories and honest replies, so scroll down to find what they have to say!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Quiet quitting was coined by corporate to make it sound bad and put employees who do it in a bad light.
Simply put, it means doing exactly what you agreed to and what you are paid for.
This is not quitting by any dictionary I am familiar with. This is plain and simple doing your job.
Corporate 'culture' has it you have to work more than you agreed to, more than your contracted hours, more than you are paid for, to impress the employer, to "show you care" and other b******t like that. People are gradually waking up to the realisation that this is all unacceptable.
If we flip this on its head, why doesn't the company pay me more than we agreed? Or why doesn't it cut an hour or two off my day's shift? I'm sure any corporate linguist could find a variety of reasons to respond to that, and those are the exact reasons why the employee should not work past their hours and pay.
So no. 'Quiet quitting' doesn't exist, purely because it has nothing to do with quitting.
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#2
Just today I decided to do this. I get here 2 hours early to make sure everything is straight so that I can give my boss any updates needed from the night crew. I am supposed to have a 30 min unpaid lunch, I usually work through this. I will also stay later than anyone else just to cover for my bosses so they can go home at their normal time. I am hourly and get overtime so it worked out. I am supposed to only create the training material and make sure everyone is highly trained. This is a industrial environment so we take it seriously. It also causes me to have to come in on my days off sometimes to meet with trainees. I also deal with contractors which is something that no other person in my role has to do. This causes me to some days work from 5 am to 10 pm (I did this Monday and Tuesday this week already) as I am not allowed to work over 16 hours a day. I have never complained as the money was good.
Today my department is told all overtime has to be approved daily. I asked if this included me and it does. Because certain individuals have been caught not working while they are on overtime, the entire department has been punished. I asked if I could go ahead and get my stuff approved as I get up and leave my house around 4:30am and I don't want to have to call him that early. I was told he sees no benefit of me coming in that early or staying that late.
So I will only work my 8 hours, and I am cutting my phone off during my lunch break. I will not cover for them again nor will I work late to help get us back running. I have turned over the contractor paperwork and will no longer be handling it. Seeing as all that I do is not beneficial, it should not cause us any disruptions.
Mrs Irish Mom 2 years ago
Sounds like this company is gonna go down hill very fast without this dude and all he does
#3
The phrase “you get what you pay for” applies to employers too. They shouldn’t expect to get premium production at a discount.
To find out what an expert has to say about quiet quitting, Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, CEO of the hybrid work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts, and best-selling author of Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams: A Manual on Benchmarking to Best Practices for Competitive Advantage (Intentional Insights, 2021).
Dr. Tsipursky explained that the term “quiet quitting” emerged in March 2022, and refers to doing the bare minimal tasks of your job description well enough that you don’t get fired.
“The concept quickly went viral on TikTok. Yet it only started to gain traction as an issue of concern among business leaders when government data on productivity released in August 2022 showed a sharp and unexpected drop in Q1 and Q2 of 2022,” he said.
#4
Has anyone here ever worked somewhere, had a supervisor quit, then had to do the supervisor's job, but while being told they can't actually make you officially the supervisor yet, just so they don't have to give you a pay rise? I've known several people who have had this happen to them, and they get strung along with the promise that *eventually* they will have the title and pay rise. No one should fall for it.
Chucky Cheezburger 2 years ago
I have heard this refered to as "quiet promotion", but let's call it what it is, B.S. exploitation.
#5
I think the pandemic really reset people's priorities. A lot of people were working from home or unemployed, and spent time with their families, or relaxing, or on self improvement. After a couple years of that, we all realized that maybe working those extra hours every day isn't that important. Their jobs kept going on, even though they were putting less effort into them.
I've noticed a big change at my office. If I stay until 5:30, there's only a couple cars left in the parking lot. It used to be busy there until 6 or 7 most days! And the place is pretty empty on Fridays, everyone is "working from home".
People seem to value their personal time a lot more, and I think it's a good thing. Work to live, don't live to work!
#6
I’ve been doing this for years lol. Just common sense to me. I do what I get paid to do. I do my hours, no more no less. If I have to work overtime I’m claiming every single millisecond of it. It’s a job. Not my life
Had a situation once where someone called in sick and no one could come in to replace them. Which is not the end of the world. Had to stay 30 minutes passed my scheduled time to ensure everything was done, so I put that on my timesheet. When I came in the next day I saw someone scratched out my 30 minutes extra and put in my normal finish time. Obviously that pissed me off so I went to the boss and asked what the f**k was this. They said they don’t pay overtime and other s**t.
So I said well here’s what’s gonna happen. Either you pay me for the extra time or I’ll go straight to the department of labour and file a complaint. Don’t think they expected a 20 year old (at the time) to stick up for themselves.
Moreover, “soon after that worrisome datapoint in August, Gallup released a survey in early September indicating that as many as half of all Americans may be quiet quitters, further exacerbating business leadership concerns about this problem.”
So what explains the drop in productivity associated with quiet quitting? Dr. Tsipursky quotes Ben Wigert, director of research and strategy for workplace management at Gallup, who argues that “forcing employees to come to the office under the threat of discipline leads to disengagement, fear, and distrust.”
#7
I was in the Army when a Colonel told me to act my pay grade. Stop doing extra and do what my rank was assigned without the bows and ribbons. Take my lunch, quit working through it. I was worried about things that could wait until the next day.
Work your wage, yo.
#8
If you pay me $10 you’ll get a $10 employee.
HangryHangryHippo 2 years ago
That made me remember a post where I guy applied for a welding position that was posted from $xx to $xxx per hour (I can't remember the actual advertised values) He was asked to showcase his work and made two different weldings, one was awful and the other so clean, tidy and beautiful to look at! When asked what the deal was, he said that the quality of his work depended on the payment quality too. Legend
#9
"Quiet quitting" is a propaganda phrase used by managers and CEOs to try to shame employees who "act their wage".
VodkaInMySweetTea 2 years ago
"Act your wage" still sounds extremely childish. Why not "work the hours you're paid for". Or "work the job you were hired for".
Dr. Tsipursky continued: “Indeed, Gallup found that if people are required to come to the office for more time than they prefer, ‘employees experience significantly lower engagement, significantly lower well-being, significantly higher intent to leave [and] significantly higher levels of burnout.’”
By contrast, employees feel gratitude to companies that give them more flexibility and show trust, Dr. Tsipursky argues. “As one such employee said, ‘if my company is going to come in and give me this flexibility, then I’m going to be the first to give them 100%.’ Indeed, research by Stanford University even before the pandemic found that workers who spent 4 days a week working remotely were 9% more engaged than in-office staff. Gallup finds that ‘the optimal engagement boost occurs when employees spend 60% to 80% of their time—or three to four days in a five-day workweek—working off-site.’”
#10
This whole concept is completely absurd to me. I do realize that in the US you are probably expected to work harder than what you're contractually required to do but for instance here in the Nordic countries most people have always "acted their wage." We don't live to work, we do our job and go home to live our lives.
Paul Morris 2 years ago
A fair days work for a fair days pay. I've always lived my life that way.
#11
I resent the term "quiet quitting", as a person who is protective of their time outside office hours. This doesn't make me a bad employee, it makes me a better one. I'm very good at my job, and am able to do it better than some in fewer hours, and I don't suffer from burn out because I make sure I get time to switch off. Measure my performance on the work I do, not the time I'm available.
This term really is corporations responding to the mass realisation that they can't bully and trick 1 person into doing 2 people's jobs any more.
#12
We should also include in the conversation "quiet firing" which is where they keep adding more and more tasks with no pay raise.
Taibhse Sealgair 2 years ago
I thought "quiet firing" was the opposite. They start reducing your work/hours. You don't get invited to meetings. You don't get included in work conversations. It's almost like getting shunned. Next thing you know, you get dinged for "not producing value", get written up or put on a PIP, and generally you realize you're getting slowly forced out.
Moreover, the Integrated Benefits Institute found in an October 2022 survey that employees who work remotely or in a hybrid environment reported being more satisfied (20.7%) and more highly engaged (50.8%).
Dr. Tsipursky also mentioned this June 2022 Citrix survey which found that 56% of fully remote workers feel engaged, but only 51% of in-office employees do so. “The evidence is backed up by a CNBC survey from June 2022, which found that 52% of fully remote workers say they are very satisfied with their jobs, compared with 47% of workers working full-time in the office.”
#13
Why should an employer get more than they pay for?
#14
Not everybody wants to move up and run the place. Some of us just want to put in their 40 hours and go home, and as long as I can pay my bills I don't need a promotion. So i'm not putting in extra hours and doing extra tasks that aren't in my job description. The favor some people are trying to gain from employers is for future promotions or perks. I have no interest in those perks. I can turn down that stuff because I don't work for free. Clock in at 9 clock out at 4:59 having completed all my assigned work whistling as I skip out the door. If they're going to pay me the bare minimum that they can get away with, this is the effort they get.
Jan Rosier 2 years ago
Exactly. Employers should realise that there is nothing wrong with a person wanting to do a job and having no ambition to rise up in the company. The 'promotion-promise' is very often nothing but a carrot on a stick.
#15
I work in software so salary is the main cost to my employer. They obviously want to pay me as little as possible for as much output as possible which they can then resell for profit.
If I bust my balls to get features out as quickly as I possibly can then there is simply more work after that. If I am lucky I will get a "well done" in a company meeting and if I really fight my case I might get a raise. The only way to get market rates is to get another job offer and then threaten to leave.
The sales team get a bonus when they close a deal but the devs get f**k all when they deliver a massive client project. There is no incentive to deliver more than the minimal expectation so why should I give away my time and skill for free?
When Dr. Tsipursky shows this data to his consulting clients, they often ask him what they can do to address this problem. “First of all, I remind them of a joke from the famous comedian Henny Youngman: ‘The patient says, ‘Doctor, it hurts when I do this.’ The doctor says, ‘Then don't do that!’’’
According to him, the best approach for the future of work is a flexible team-led approach, where team leads make the call on work arrangements that serve the needs of their team. “Team leads know best what their teams need, including how to maximize productivity, engagement, and collaboration.”
#16
To anyone running companies and to everyone in the upperclass thinking this is a problem:
F**k you, pay me my worth.
#17
Quiet quitting sounds like come corporate b******t to make workers feel ashamed of not giving life and limb for a damn company.
Acting your wage is something a lotta people could use. Don't get me wrong if you work in a cutthroat industry where you need to put out 110% to chase the bag, go for it but when you're working at mcd's for minimum wage you're better off saving your energy for some courses or even a trade school. As long as your workshare is done, you're not lazy for not doing more than you're paid for.
Luna Crow 2 years ago
I was today years old when I learned of the "quiet quitting" corporate wordplay scam. Don't fall for it, it's the equivalent of non-aggressive violence, basically corporate bullying. The concept of acting your wage has been around for a long time. If it's outside the scope of what you're hired and paid to do, then it's not your problem. Don't let them push you into doing it anyway.
#18
We gotta stop using this term some bootlicker in HR came up with for DOING YOUR DAMN JOB. Regardless of anyone’s political leanings, I’m sure we can all agree that if you want more, you pay for more.
Sarah Monk 2 years ago
You can do your damn job without the employer trying to get more out of you for no pay, if not then they are not paying for the job!
hen asked what are the main signs of "quiet quitting," Dr. Tsipursky mentioned decreased productivity and engagement. “That means employees just doing the bare minimum, and not putting in extra work even when the company or their team needs them to do so, as well as not socially engaging with their colleagues outside of work hours,” he explained.
According to Dr. Tsipursky, it’s valuable to help staff address burnout as part of the return to office, such as by providing mental health benefits. “Burnout contributes to quiet quitting, and we see a clear increase in burnout during the drive to return employees to the office.”
#20
Worker productivity has been increasing while wages have remained stagnant. Good to see something addressing the problem.
Timothy Patel 2 years ago
I think American management has become soooo lazy. They keep looking for technology to do their jobs.
#21
We *are* “acting our wage,”
It just so happens that wage in the teens buys the effort of a teen.
Meanwhile, a Future Forum survey found that burnout increased from 37% in May 2022 to 43% in August 2022. In a late 2022 Gallup survey, 71% of respondents said that compared to in-office work, hybrid work improves work-life balance and 58% reported less burnout.
“When asked about burnout among workers who could work fully remotely, those who were fully office-centric had rates of burnout at 35% and engagement at 30%. For remote workers, the percentage for burnout was 27% and engagement was 37%, further demonstrating how the drive to return to office leads to burnout and quiet quitting,” Dr. Tsipursky concluded.
#22
No company has ever gone above and beyond trying to benefit me. They do the bare minimum, I do the bare minimum.
#23
As someone who used to bust my a*s and bend over backwards I stopped. Because I was laid off permanently while all the new guys got to keep their jobs because they were “cheaper” and all the promotions I’ve worked my a*s off for were all given to outside hires with no experience. So now I look at as “why bother trying?” There’s literally no incentive to try. Raises aren’t different for people who work harder anymore. It’s all based on how long your with the company.
Libstak 2 years ago (edited)
Same, after a certain age they push you out. Before I was let go I watched all the younger generation come in and make all the same mistakes we had learned from and progressed way past in efficiency and they utterly ignore safety. Companies are going backwards in leaps and bounds and the cost is in poor service, non QA approved cheap inferior and c**p product and a rise costs due to slow downs in production and dangerous health and safety breaches.
#24
I just decided to do this yesterday and I am so much more relaxed.
Work has gone crazy for me recently. I have developed the habit over my career of working my butt off to accomplish as much as humanly possible. It took 3-4 people to replace me at my last job.
The workload here has skyrocketed. My personal life is miserable and I'm just so stressed over everything.
I made the conscious decision to just do what I can to get my work done, and be ok with it if not everything gets done. I'm the only one setting this unrealistic standard for myself. I don't have to kill myself to do it....and I'm starting to relax and feel just a bit better.
Edit: I grew up and entered the working world under the understanding that if worked hard I would be rewarded. And looking back on everything, that has never actually happened. The only thing that did happen was I was taken advantage of. I had people in my early employment years try to convince me to do their work for them on the side. I was denied raises and underpaid. At my last job I was 100% convinced I was being underpaid. I gave them advanced notice I had received an offer I was taking seriously. I handed in my two weeks notice and they stonewalled me up until the last day. Then the VP pulled me into his office, told me they couldn't lose me and offered me a massive raise.
I asked about the problems with the company that lead me to quit that I knew they knew about and asked them why they hadn't fixed any of it yet. Didn't get a good answer. So I told them no and left.
Proudest day of my career so far. I'd always been so nervous about authority but just knowing they needed me and I didn't need them gave me such a confidence boost it was amazing.
Dan Padgett 2 years ago
If you work hard, you will be punished with more work which is now your work forever. Do your job, nothing more, nothing less.
#25
Minimum wage = minimum effort. 99% of companies can afford to pay good wages, they're just greedy.
#26
It's funny to me how people think this is a new thing.
The term for it is new, but people everywhere have always been doing it.
#27
I support it. If you're under paid then you shouldn't overwork yourself for someone that won't give you a good wage.
AgedViolet 2 years ago
Amen! I believe that I have outgrown that particular quirk. Or, as my dad used to say, "The best lesson is a bought one." Boy, have I learned!
#28
You mean doing the correct amount of work you're being paid for? Sounds like not-slavery
Lulu 2 years ago
I read this post and i am so happy so many people are doing this. Used to give my soul for every job, no matter what. Others would always expect of me to do more than everything while they get to go home early, or chill while smoking cigarettes and having coffee's. No. At some point i realized this is not the life i want, i started seeing a strong effect this work load was having on my health and promised myself i will start saying "no" to overhours, to sacrificing my free days, coming in sick or during an emergency. It's really not worth it. Your health and happiness are much more important
#30
Quiet Quitting - Sh**ty made up term by companies to guilt their workers into doing a bunch of free s**t they are not being paid for.
Acting your Wage - I get the idea behind it, but im not sure it needs a term. ffs just do what you are being paid for and keep it at that.
What do you think ?
BoredPandaSucks 2 years ago
"Quiet Quitting?" so now we have a euphemism for being fed up and no longer having any f***s left to give? Well i guess it is a lot shorter.
Oliver Seitz 2 years ago
Sorry, not sorry. It is not quite quitting, it is limiting your duty to that Portion you get paid for. No unpaid extra hours, no extra weekend shifts. Giving 100% is enough. Exploitation is NOT normal. So what's in your contract.
BoredPandaSucks 2 years ago
"Quiet Quitting?" so now we have a euphemism for being fed up and no longer having any f***s left to give? Well i guess it is a lot shorter.
Oliver Seitz 2 years ago
Sorry, not sorry. It is not quite quitting, it is limiting your duty to that Portion you get paid for. No unpaid extra hours, no extra weekend shifts. Giving 100% is enough. Exploitation is NOT normal. So what's in your contract.
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