The Problem with Quiet Quitting…

Why it's (past) time to redesign how we work

In this issue: The Problem with Quiet Quitting…/Disrespected Employees Are Quitting. What Can Managers Do Differently? / The Importance of Managers as Advocates / The Lighter Side of Quitting

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I'm Andrea J. Miller and this is my “On Leading Well” Newsletter. I send this to people in my networks, people I’ve met recently, and friends I want to keep in touch with. You can unsubscribe (SEE THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL) anytime, I won’t be offended

The Problem with Quiet Quitting…Why it's (past) time to redesign how we work

In an economy often driven by stock prices, the demands of work can frequently feel out of control.

If your company’s value or organization’s funding is tied to immediate gains and outputs, then the only way to succeed is to do more…and more… and more.

But to what outcome?

This is exactly the question many employees have started to ask themselves -- and many have found that they don’t like the answer.

As the amount of work and related stress continues to grow, with little or no added compensation, they’ve begun to draw a line.

They’re tired.

Very, very tired.

COVID was a tipping point for an already exhausted workforce.

After over 2 years of change and uncertainty, the mental, emotional, and/or physical strain feels like too much.

Enter “Quiet Quitting.”

It’s a term that gained popularity after a TikTok video went viral.

The problem is, it’s not very accurate.

You see, it has nothing to do with quitting, and given the amount of hype it’s gotten, it hasn’t been terribly quiet.

If you’re not one of the millions who’ve seen the video or read one of the countless articles, have no fear, here’s a one-sentence overview.

It’s about people creating boundaries and saying if you’re not going to care about my wellbeing and are only going to pay me for 40 hours, which btw was the deal we made, then that’s exactly what I’m going to give you (okay, I didn’t say how long the sentence would be :).

As you can see, there’s no mention of quitting, just people doing their jobs and leaving at the end of their designated 8-hour workday.

So, you may be wondering why something so seemingly straightforward, has become the talk of the internet.

It’s because somewhere down the line the agreement between the employer and employee was broken.

An extra hour here and a few more hours there, and what was supposed to be just this once, became an expectation…soon a person paid for a 40-hour week was expected to work 50 or 60 or else their dedication to work and company might be questioned.

Creating Work that Works

As technological breakthroughs have rapidly increased, our world has evolved exponentially …however, for better or worse our brains haven’t.

We’re regularly being asked to take on new challenges and learn different things.

In theory, this should be great.

But we’re just so damn tired.

In addition to all we need to do and know to excel in this brave new world of work, we’re still expected to attend hours upon hours of often, seemingly pointless meetings,

And/or to spend time doing unnecessary work because it might not have been thought through well enough, or communications were poor or fill in the blank.

Or perhaps, it could just be that we’re simply staying those extra hours because everyone else is…

Whatever the reason, the outcome is that we have little or no time to recover.

To rest,

and most importantly recharge.

Our brains require a lot of energy.

Even in a resting state, they consume about 20 percent of the body’s energy.

If we don’t have the energy, it can make taking on new challenges and even some of the old ones very difficult.

This means the companies that are working people so hard in order to be successful, will need to ensure that their people have more time to recharge.

Therefore, maybe working 40 or fewer hours is more than enough time to get the job done – and possibly even a better option.

In the UK, researchers at Cambridge University, Boston College, and Oxford are currently working with over 70 companies to see what happens when people work only four days a week.

The initial data confirms that working less doesn’t mean doing less, in fact, in almost half the cases it’s been the opposite.

Nearly 50% of the companies found that despite working one day less per week that productivity improved and even more striking, was that some 86% of respondents said that at this point in the trial (3 months in), they would be “extremely likely” and/or “likely” to consider the idea of retaining a four-day week when the pilot ends.

While it’s likely to be a very long time before a global 4-day work week gets instituted, it might be time for companies to recognize that 40 hours of good work is far better than 60 hours of mediocre work…that is unless they want their employees to go from quiet quitting to doing it more loudly.

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The Lighter Side of Quitting

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RECOMMENDED LISTENS, READS and other interesting things

Disrespected Employees Are Quitting. What Can Managers Do Differently?

“New modes of working require managers to adapt the ways they signal respect for employees.”

The Importance of Managers as Advocates

“Advocacy can be a powerful tool to help managers boost employee productivity and retention.”

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Are there any other subjects you want me to cover? Hit “Reply” and tell me!

I love hearing from you :)!

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Andrea J. Miller

+1 (646) 556-5401 (Whatsapp)

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