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Quiet quitting is a buzzword for slacking or taking your foot off the gas pedal at work. Doing the bare minimum. Doing nothing more than meeting expectations. The concept is nothing new.
In a recent Gallup poll, "quiet quitters" make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce. In 2023, employers are responding by quiet firing. ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 1,000 managers with at least one direct report. One in three managers have responded to "quiet quitting" by "quiet firing."
Their key findings include:
• 98% of managers of "quiet quitters" say it's important their reports do more than the bare minimum.
• 91% of managers have taken some action against "quiet quitters," including taking steps to terminate them and denying promotions/raises.
• 64% of managers say "quiet quitters" are unlikely to have a successful career.
Rage-applying is the phenomenon of simultaneously applying to several different jobs when feeling burnt out or distressed at your current job. Again, the concept of applying to several positions is nothing new. Is sending off a flurry of frustration-fueled applications without putting too much thought into whether the role is your dream job or not a good idea?
Resenteeism is the shiny new word for when you hate your job enough to do more than "quiet quit" but are too anxious about the economy to leave. Again, remaining in your job when you are fundamentally unhappy? Sound familiar? This concept is nothing new.
Is this all on the employee? No, in many cases, this is a result of poor management.
Managers need to engage with their employees to address burnout and disengagement. In this hybrid environment, they need to have at least one meaningful conversation once a week. They need to develop a culture in which people are engaged and feel they belong. They should do what's in their power to improve their employee's daily experience, including embracing flexible working, monitoring workloads to reduce cases of burnout, offering chances to progress where possible, and creating an environment where discussions about mental health are considered.
A Deloitte Global 2022 Gen Z and Millenial survey connected with respondents around the globe to gauge their views about work and the world around them. When asked what employers could do to attract and retain top talent, the survey results were as follows:
• Good work/life balance. Millennials, 38%; Gen Z, 35%
• Learning and development opportunities: Millennials, 29%; Gen Z, 29%
• A higher salary or other financial benefits: Millenials, 27%; Gen Z, 24%
• Positive workplace culture: Millenials, 23%; Gen Z, 23%
• Opportunities to progress/grow in their career: Millenials, 24%; Gen Z, 23%
• Derive a sense of meaning from my work: Millenials, 26%; Gen Z, 21%
• Flexible working model: Millenials, 21%; Gen Z, 20%
Employees, this isn't a world where just participation matters. You know this. Did you begin your career with a vision of how your journey would be motivating, satisfying and benefit your life? Few of us start out dreaming of the day we can give the bare minimum. If you aren't reflecting and paying attention, you will lose the magic and your position and future positions will turn into redundant patterns. Quiet quitting, resenteeism, and rage applying don't get to the root cause of your unhappiness. Are you in the right career? Are you in the right company or firm? Do you have what it takes to leave the workforce and start a business?
Consider these quotes often attributed to successful people while you work on answering those questions for yourself:
Denzel Washington: "Don't aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference. Hard work, works."
Oprah Winfrey: "Your life's work is to find your life's work and then to exercise the discipline, tenacity, and hard work it takes to pursue it."
A September 2022 Microsoft report which surveyed 20,000 people in 11 countries showed that younger generations are the most likely to aspire to be their own boss, with 76% of Gen Z and Millennials saying that this is a goal, compared with 63% of those who are Gen X and older. This is exciting news for these generations and the potential long-term impact and creativity they can have on our country.
Elon Musk says in being your own boss, "you've got to do all sorts of jobs and tasks that you might not wish to do, that are not intrinsically interesting to you. You've got to be prepared to do whatever it takes, work whatever hours. No task is too menial. I think that's the right attitude for the CEO of a startup." He also said, "Running a start-up is like chewing glass and staring into the abyss. After a while, you stop staring, but the glass chewing never ends." Are you ready to do this?
Employees need to identify the key criteria they are looking for in order to make a move into their next position or that business idea they have. Kudos to you for expecting more out of your job, your workplace, the culture you want to be around, the societal impact of your company and assessing what is important in life and your work. You need to reflect on this very carefully. Rage applying, quiet quitting, resenteeism — all these catchy little buzzwords are not a positive approach to the outcome you want to obtain.
In the end, if you don't manage your career, someone else will manage it for you.
Superstar rapper Drakesaid it very well, "I am always going to work like I have something to prove. When writing the story of your life, don't let anyone else hold the pen."