There’s a new trend gaining traction online amongst hoards of disaffected workers: Quiet quitting. And no, it doesn’t mean silently walking out of the office one day, never to return.
Driving the news: Quiet quitting isn’t actually quitting… It’s rejecting the notion of going above and beyond, by doing what’s in your job description and not a darn thing more.
- The origin of the term can be traced back to a Chinese social media post from April 2021, but it’s now gone global after blowing up on (where else but) TikTok.
Figures like Kevin O’Leary to Ariana Huffington have spoken out against quiet quitting, but its supporters argue it’s a way to reclaim work-life balance and fight toxic overwork culture.
Why it’s happening: Only 21% of Canadian employees find their work engaging, according to Gallup’s 2022 State of Work survey. That paltry number is also the global average.
- Canadian workers are also more stressed than ever, with 55% reporting feeling stressed “a lot of the day” while on the job—10% higher than the global average.
Why it matters: The trend may force employers to adapt to helping employees manage disengagement and burnout, which both lower levels of productivity for businesses.
Bottom line: It’s unclear right now how much quiet quitting will help (or hurt) things, but its growing popularity is an indictment of the current state of work.