"Quiet Quitting" - it's nothing new.

[Alien826]

First, this article. It's a quick read.

The Truth Behind ‘Quiet Quitting’

Briefly it describes the phenomenon of people getting fed up with their jobs and rejecting the idea that a "good" worker is one who "... [goes] beyond to try to solve problems for the organization, their teams, their managers, their bosses, those are the ones that succeed in life.”

So, how to "quiet quit"? "A so-called “quiet quitter” does not judge herself by her professional productivity; it’s never hustlin’ time for her. She does her job, and when her shift is over, she’s done. This isn’t slacking off, but something else, a recognition that a person’s worth is not to be found in the American way of work."

Actually, there's nothing new about this. Unhappy people do less work and find endless ways to cover that up.

On an amusing note, years and years ago I worked with a guy, who, to put it mildly, wasn't fond of management. When he heard about something "they" did that he didn't like, he would say "That's it, I'm going to fine them half an hour's work (the time varied by his view of the offense)". He would then look at his watch and sit for exactly half an hour doing nothing. Funny, but I think people do that, consciously or unconsciously, but without the theatrics.

 

[Daemon Sophic]

On a basic first impression I say yes this is a good idea. Any economist would tell you that you’re an idiot if you worked overtime for free going above and beyond what was actually in your contract to do.

My second thought is that if you simply work what you are currently contracted to do, then you should not ever expect to be promoted or get a significant raise beyond what your years of service warrant. If you wish to climb any kind of ladder, whether it be corporate or in the ranks of the medical or scientific communities, then yes, you darn well better be putting in lots of extra work, because people will see that (including your supervisors) and you will usually be rewarded for that.
As someone recently expressed it, ”Dress and work for the job that you want, not for the job that you have.”

And lastly, it is true that the American work ethic is too much. Citizens of most other nations (particularly in the “white collar” arenas) don’t put in nearly as many hours per day, and days per year that US citizens do. And for good reason.
We push ourselves too hard, and too easily lose sight of what all that work is for. Materialism is a pathetic joke that far too many of us have pulled on ourselves.
I have often told my under-studies. “Remember, don’t let this be everything for you. What you do here is not your life. It is simply to pay for your life, which should be out there.”

 

[sun rise]

The OP point is valid but to me overlooks a cultural change that is world wide with "lying flat" in China etc. I see in many areas such as amassing things, killing oneself for work etc have lost attractiveness to many. To me, many are saying that they're willing to not amass wealth as a serious marker of success compared to leading a fulfilling life in other ways.

 

[Alien826]

On a basic first impression I say yes this is a good idea. Any economist would tell you that you’re an idiot if you worked overtime for free going above and beyond what was actually in your contract to do.

My second thought is that if you simply work what you are currently contracted to do, then you should not ever expect to be promoted or get a significant raise beyond what your years of service warrant. If you wish to climb any kind of ladder, whether it be corporate or in the ranks of the medical or scientific communities, then yes, you darn well better be putting in lots of extra work, because people will see that (including your supervisors) and you will usually be rewarded for that.
As someone recently expressed it, ”Dress and work for the job that you want, not for the job that you have.”

And lastly, it is true that the American work ethic is too much. Citizens of most other nations (particularly in the “white collar” arenas) don’t put in nearly as many hours per day, and days per year that US citizens do. And for good reason.
We push ourselves too hard, and too easily lose sight of what all that work is for. Materialism is a pathetic joke that far too many of us have pulled on ourselves.
I have often told my under-studies. “Remember, don’t let this be everything for you. What you do here is not your life. It is simply to pay for your life, which should be out there.”

Well said.

There are certain exceptions to this. One is, if you have a job that you either enjoy for itself (you'd do it unpaid if you had to) or you consider to be important (charity work, whatever). In that case, go for it.

Another is what you say, where you value advancement highly enough to dedicate your life to it. To this I'd add some caveats.

- I've seen more advancement gained through kissing up to superiors than through merit or hard work.
- Beware of getting promoted beyond your "level of competence". Better to be a happy worker bee than a miserable queen bee.
- It's a rickety scaffold you are climbing. It can all collapse through forces beyond your control. Don't let it be your only source of happiness (as you said).

What this is really aimed at is the lower level person who is sick to death of a job that takes more than it gives, demands respect but gives none and you suspect exists to enrich others much more than you.

 

[Wildswanderer]

Just sounds like another way of saying lazy people find excuses to be lazy.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

There's also an element of culture involved. I'm an older generation, and grew up when we were taught a "work ethic" that put self in second place really. These days, that seems bizarre to younger people in the work force, and that's okay, too.

No generation is going to be the same as the previous one. The world changes, notions change, and we change with them.

As it happens, I still like getting up in the morning and going to work. And I'm almost 75. Other people place more value on family (I never had that, so it didn't occupy any of my concern) and personal time and growth. All fine.

All that really matters, in my view, is that however all the parts of a society fit together, however they choose to do things -- is that the society works, that the needs of all are fulfilled, one way or another. And that doesn't have to be the way it once was.

 

[F1fan]

Just sounds like another way of saying lazy people find excuses to be lazy.

This is a lazy reply on your part. Didn't you bother to look into the reasons some do it?

 

[Alien826]

Just sounds like another way of saying lazy people find excuses to be lazy.

Predictable response.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

- I've seen more advancement gained through kissing up to superiors than through merit or hard work.

That's my number 3 work pet peeve. And I've seen it a lot, even to disastrous ends.
And to add to your list, bunghole bosses who are jerks, frequently lie, are incompetent or just aren't good and another source of blame. I read of a Gamestop district manager up north who managed to get multiple mass-quits at two locations.

 

[Alien826]

There's also an element of culture involved. I'm an older generation, and grew up when we were taught a "work ethic" that put self in second place really. These days, that seems bizarre to younger people in the work force, and that's okay, too.

No generation is going to be the same as the previous one. The world changes, notions change, and we change with them.

As it happens, I still like getting up in the morning and going to work. And I'm almost 75. Other people place more value on family (I never had that, so it didn't occupy any of my concern) and personal time and growth. All fine.

All that really matters, in my view, is that however all the parts of a society fit together, however they choose to do things -- is that the society works, that the needs of all are fulfilled, one way or another. And that doesn't have to be the way it once was.

Yes, the "protestant work ethic". It never took with me. It basically says that there is something virtuous in work, regardless of any other factors. Putting it another way, it's more moral to spend the day digging holes and filling them in again than sitting around doing nothing much. If you look at the history of work though, it's been a succession of inventions that make it easier to get things done. In other words, to work less.

 

[Shaul]

This is why one should never work at something one doesn’t love. If you love what you do you never work.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Just sounds like another way of saying lazy people find excuses to be lazy.

No, I just tend to butt heads with authority and have no patience with crap bosses.
But lazy? I've done years of self employment/independent contracting so that's definitely not the issue.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

There's also an element of culture involved. I'm an older generation, and grew up when we were taught a "work ethic" that put self in second place really. These days, that seems bizarre to younger people in the work force, and that's okay, too.

Wait! That's how I was raised! You can't call me old for a few more years. Amd even then, under American law you can't talk crap against those who are 40 years or older, so you still can't call me old.

 

[Alien826]

This is why one should never work at something one doesn’t love. If you love what you do you never work.

I agree.

Not everyone has that option unfortunately.

 

[sun rise]

This is why one should never work at something one doesn’t love. If you love what you do you never work.

Wrong. I loved IT and in retirement I still spend hours volunteering on it. What made work work was meaningless bureaucracy, toxic managers and co-workers, unreasonable schedules and so forth.

One example: Before I retired I worked for a large bank. The work itself was interesting. The bureaucracy was another matter. We started off with production changes being a technical scheduling issue. There were some errors people being people. So management decided that we were incompetent and they needed to review changes. Then 2nd level management decided 1st level was incompetent... Finally when I left 3rd level was making the decisions based on a long stupid form that I had to fill out to be reviewed by a team in India to make sure I filled it out correctly and then summarized for management. The human errors of course continued.

Another example from the same bank. Someone decided that to save money we'd outsource project managers. So instead of people who knew how the bank worked and who to contact, we got project managers who needed to be helped. I spent my last few months there helping one manage a project by passing along the institutional knowledge I had gained over the years I was there.

As far as the world wide trend and change in mindset goes:
Quiet quitting: why doing the bare minimum at work has gone global
What is 'quiet quitting,' and how it may be a misnomer for setting boundaries at work
If Your Co-Workers Are ‘Quiet Quitting,’ Here’s What That Means
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/08/19/remote-work-hybrid-employment-revolution/
Opinion | The ‘Great Resignation’ Started Long Ago

 

[Wildswanderer]

This is a lazy reply on your part. Didn't you bother to look into the reasons some do it?

Yes and they sound like excuses.

 

[Wildswanderer]

No, I just tend to butt heads with authority and have no patience with crap bosses.

I had the same experiences...I still tried to do more than what was required.

 

[Wildswanderer]

This is why one should never work at something one doesn’t love. If you love what you do you never work.

That's not really completely true in my experience. I am self employed and do something I like doing but it's still really hard work. I don't think there's anything worth doing that doesn't have it's bad parts.

 

[Wildswanderer]

Predictable response.

It's based on lots of experience with lazy people.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Just sounds like another way of saying lazy people find excuses to be lazy.

Yea. That's pretty much the actual case.

Still, being lazy is immensely fun.