Years of long hours, understaffed companies, and burned-out employees have led to TikTok’s latest trend: quietly quitting.
However, the slogan is misleading, leading some people to think that it means that workers do the bare minimum at their jobs.
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This is unequivocally false, according to Kathy Caprino, a Connecticut-based career and leadership coach for women.
“It’s about stopping doing work that people think is beyond what they were hired for and not getting compensated,” said the author of The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery-Boosting Paths To Career Bliss.
Employees still excel at their jobs, but they aren’t working overtime to do it, former engineering consultant Paige West told CNN.
“While I was at my 9-5 job, I was still working my 40-hour week. I was still fulfilling my job duties. It was just taking away that feeling of stress that I had,” she said.
Millions of American workers are quitting their jobs, but hybrid work creates its own set of challenges.
The drastic change in the workforce during the pandemic has largely caused this behavior to rise, said CEO and founder of The Purposeful Culture Group, S. Chris Edmonds. Colorado-based consulting helps senior leaders create a positive work culture.
Edmonds said companies that were unprepared for the pandemic and great resignation had placed additional responsibilities on employees.
Many people also became frustrated when managers insisted on certain rules, such as going back to work in person, leading to more burnout and frustration, Edmonds said.
According to a Gallup poll released in March 2022, only 24% of Americans thought their managers had what was best for them in mind.
Edmonds quietly said that giving up some tasks that you think are beyond your job description is not a sustainable solution, but that there are other ways to achieve what you want.
Evaluate your priorities
To set boundaries in your career, you must first learn what your boundaries are, said the author of Prep, Push, Pivot: Essential Career Strategies For Underrepresented Women, career coach and Prep, Push, Pivot: Essential Career Strategies For Underrepresented Women, Octavia Goredema.
“The fastest way to burn out is if you don’t respect what matters most to you,” he said.
For some, that may mean leaving on time instead of staying two hours late, Goredema said.
Employees should ask themselves which tasks make them feel satisfied and which ones don’t matter as much.
From there, they can focus on what their priorities are and what they need to accomplish in their career, Goredema said.
Clive Wilkinson designed the Googleplex and now helps build workplaces that fit the needs of hybrid working.
Share your needs
After determining what you need to be successful and happy in your role, it’s best to talk to your manager to get some insight, Edmonds said. Communication is key.
You may have one idea of what your job responsibilities are and your boss may have another, Caprino said. If he stops doing some tasks because he feels they are out of his hands, it might look like he is slacking off if his manager thinks they are part of his job.
“Even running my own team, if I were to suddenly stop doing the job that everyone assumes I would be doing, there would be problems and things would go wrong,” Caprino said.
If you want to get fair compensation for any extra work you’ve done, present your manager with data about your job performance and what you’ve accomplished so far, he said.
How social media is becoming a concern in the workplace.
Get closer to your employees
From a manager’s perspective, it’s important to understand your employees and make sure they feel supported in their respective roles, Edmonds said.
“The responsibility of employers is to find out what people perceive as fair, and then do nothing less than that,” he said.
Leaders need to focus on having regular conversations and building relationships with their employees, Edmonds said.
Conversations could expand beyond work to include some of your personal interests and priorities because that can often affect your work life, Caprino said.
“If you don’t understand the internal state of your employees, things will happen that will surprise you,” he said.
Managers should consider setting up one-on-one meetings with their workers at least once a quarter, Goredema said.
“We have to show that we are committed as leaders, that we are involved and committed,” he said.
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