Exploring the 'quiet quitting' phenomenon

Words and phrases entered the everyday lexicon of Americans as a direct result of COVID-19: contact tracing and Zoom, for example.

In the latter case, the bloom may be off the rose, so to speak, as Zoom announced Feb. 7 it will lay off 1,300 employees — 15% of its staff — as the demand for digital services wanes as pandemic anxieties ebb.

One concept may be here to stay — at least for a while — and its origins may also be traced to the appearance of coronavirus on these shores in March 2020.

The term "quiet quitting" has social scientists scrambling to explain the phenomenon.

An article in the Aug. 12 edition of The Wall Street Journal takes a stab at a definition.

"Not taking your job too seriously has a new name: quiet quitting," wrote authors Lindsay Ellis and Angela Yang.

"The phrase is generating millions of views on TikTok as some young professionals reject the idea of going above and beyond in their careers, labeling their lesser enthusiasm a form of 'quitting.' It isn't about getting off the company payroll, these employees say. In fact, the idea is to stay on it — but focus your time on the things you do outside of the office," Ellis and Yang wrote.

The Southeast Missourian spoke to two leaders who spend considerable time thinking about the nature of "work" in the U.S.

James Stapleton

James Stapleton

Dan Presson

Dan Presson

• James Stapleton, co-founder of Cape Girardeau-headquartered Codefi, the coworking space and technology incubator. Stapleton is also chairman of SE MO REDI, Southeast Missouri Economic Development.
• Dan Presson, director of career services and interim assistant vice president for economic and workforce development at Southeast Missouri State University.

What is 'quiet quitting' to you?

Stapleton: In my mind, (it) represents a philosophy where individuals traded an approach to work that focused on doing everything possible to be effective and successful, for an approach where they do the least amount possible just to keep their jobs. The shift is from work being very important to simply being a job.

Presson: Quiet quitting is a rebranding of an old concept well known to employers as "checking out." Those who practice it are still doing the job but not exceeding expectations or trying to excel. It means just do the minimim required work.

Did the pandemic create fertile ground for quiet quitting to flourish?

Stapleton: We wouldn't be talking about quiet quitters had there not been a pandemic when so many people (either) quit their jobs or retired. The sheer number of people employed and available for employment was drastically reduced. (This) shifted the balance of leverage in some situations from employers to employees.

Presson: COVID really did change the way people looked at their roles in the workplace. The pandemic created lots of options for people, who began to see work as "main hustles" and "side hustles." in the case of the latter are options such as Etsy, Fiverr, Upwork and social media boutiques. Remote work is a credible option now (and) people increasingly want to be on their own without a boss.

In the current environment, what does the future look like for the emerging workplace?

Stapleton: My personal bias is, despite the changing demographics, if your organization does great work, is a great place to work, and cares greatly about your team, there is no need to vision work differently. At Codefi, our focus has always been on attracting individuals who are highly aligned with our mission and culture. We've had very low turnover despite the dynamism and challenges associated with our work because our team genuinely cares about our work, each other and the people and communities we serve.

Presson: With a national labor shortage, employees never stop looking for other good opportunities; they are not limiting themselves. Within a work environment, I encourage people to look for the value in small things. Every hour of your workday is not going to be Instagram worthy.

Another perspective

Neil Hare, in the Sept. 1 issue of Forbes magazine, writes of changing expectations among those newest to the workplace.

"For younger single workers, lockdown meant extended loneliness and isolation. This created a pent-up demand to interact and live life outside of a job that is still being conducted online. 'I survived COVID to now stay alone in my apartment and do Zoom calls all day? Nope, I'm quiet quitting.' These differences are real and should be respected and handled appropriately. Business owners and managers should understand that the gig economy is providing opportunities for workers to make the same or more money without the structure and time commitments of full-time employment. Many workers, especially young ones, are willing to live without some of the security and benefits of a full-time job," Hare wrote.

Hare also offers a word of advice to those who choose to do the absolute minimum to hold on to what he calls "the main hustle" while giving more attention to other pursuits.

"Young workers tell themselves they don't need to climb the corporate ladder to be happy in life. But it takes a certain amount of money to live in modern America with things we expect: home ownership, two cars, two vacations a year, eating out and paying for college. If you don't want to work hard to reach the top, you may not have the resources to live the life you want."

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