HYDERABAD: Do you often find yourself doing just the bare minimum at your workplace and refusing to take upon any other task that does not fit your work profile or responsibilities, especially even when you have the time, energy and ability to? If yes, you are ‘quiet quitting’, something that is growing increasingly popular these days and even being encouraged on the internet. Gone are the days when people actively looked for overtime opportunities — today, it’s all about personal space and time. We speak to experts who explain what it is, and the pros and cons of this trend.
Pavani Mekala, a psychologist at the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Hyderabad, explains what quiet quitting is and says, “Quiet quitting, as the word itself suggests, is doing the bare minimum, fulfilling what is asked and not being accountable of the bigger outcome at work. Motivation plays a vital role for an employee here — be it intrinsic or extrinsic or both. To work passionately, and maintain the zeal of the so-called ‘hustle culture’, associate needs to have a healthy amount of intrinsic and extrinsic moments.
Intrinsic is to self-motivate and extrinsic is to understand how one is making a difference with their work and are fairly compensated with rewards or appreciation. If any one factor suffers, it affects employees’ aspirations and wellbeing. Quiet quitting is a classic example of how associates’ work barriers make them slow down or catch a break. It is not ethical, for reasons that every employee is asked to provide their best and be accountable for the end result — to brainstorm and to arrive at fitting solutions at work. To have not participated as much as required and only fulfil the desk work impacts the outcome as well as the work culture.”
For some, quiet quitting can be coping, slowing down, and re-analysing priorities and purpose. For some, it can become a long-term practice, trigger avoidance and unhealthy behaviours, to seek comfort over professional growth, the psychologist tells CE. “Quiet quitting can impact employees’ work profile, and impression management and also impacts their identity as a professional.
There is also a certain amount of risk, of the associate feeling stagnant with their skills. There are lesser chances of associates sharpening their skills and/or inculcating more skills when the focus is to do just what is being asked,” she adds. Pavani lists some reasons that trigger this culture and they include authoritative leadership, employee dissatisfaction at work, communication gaps within the team, improper structure or hierarchy, lack of transparency, lack of accountability and lack of appreciation within the team.
Neha Vyas, team head at her workplace, and a senior counsellor says that such behaviour is more or less a personal choice and goes on to explain, “This is a relatively new term in the present times, but has come up a lot in during the Covid-pandemic. As people have been asked to look into extra work responsibility than the designated work, which needs extra effort, time and energy but is not compensated with approximation or with extra pay, it adds up to disappointment and low motivation.
Working from home can be both — comfortable as well as challenging. No one wants to leave comfort to get to the office, therefore, the trend of quitting has increased. Though I take a neutral stand on this, it is an individual’s take. Whatever helps with growth could be given priority. The ethical side comes in from an employer’s side as well, where a lot of factors involve wanting to retain employees. This could affect a lot of individuals differently — they could be considered as not open to new experiences or learning at the workplace, career growth could become stagnant, etc. But people can learn to stand for themselves and what they believe in — having workplace boundaries helps a long way.”