Should You Be Quietly Quitting?
There’s a “new” craze going around TikTok called “Quiet Quitting”. So what is quiet quitting, is it a new way of working (spoiler alert: no) and should you take part?
There’s a “new” craze going around TikTok called “Quiet Quitting”. So what is quiet quitting, is it a new way of working (spoiler alert: no) and should you take part?
What Is Quiet Quitting?
Quiet quitting is not just leaving your job without telling anyone, in fact it’s the opposite: you still do your job but with one big caveat:
With quiet quitting you just do what is in your contract, nothing more, nothing less.
They want you to do non-mandatory overtime? No thank you.
Ask you to take over a colleague’s work that’s out of scope of your contract? That’s a nope from me too.
They want you to respond to a client outside your 9-5 day without compensation? Are you trying to make me laugh?
A lot of companies try to get around the terms of your contract by adding in woolly wording such as “and any additional tasks” but they won’t specify what those tasks are. But essentially quiet quitting is “if it’s not written in my contact I’m not going it.”
Is This A New Thing?
Not at all. Sorry Gen Z, you did not invent this Quiet Quitting.
Over the years, union members have used “working to rule” in order to get better pay and conditions.
If enough staff are “doing the bare minimum” – in other words, working to the exact terms of your contract – this can lead to jobs falling behind, businesses slowing down and generally disrupting business processes. This proves to the employers that what employees had been doing previously (outside the bounds of their contract) should be properly compensated if they expect them to keep it up in the future.
So it’s not just some new TikTok trend, and and also highlights the importance of joining a union if you can.
Should You Quietly Quit?
Yes, and no.
Quietly quitting can send a strong message to employers that they can’t just expect people to go “above and beyond” just for their love of the company. We all have a right to a home life.
Work/Life balance is now becoming more important than ever and quietly quitting – by not answering emails out of work hours for example – can greatly improve the quality of your life outside of work.
However, if your a pay rise or bonus that you’re relying on is based on performance then you’re probably not going to see the financial compensation you’re expecting if you’re quietly quitting.
The reverse is true though, if you’re expecting a bonus or a pay rise and you don’t get one? Then why not work to the exact terms of your contract, after all if you’re not going to compensate you why should you more than you’re being compensated for?
What Do You Think?
Should you quietly quit? Should you do more than expected because you love the job or it helps people out? Or should you just let your employer know that you feel you should be compensated more for your work? Hit reply and let me know what you’d do.
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