Quiet Quitting – My Two Cents
Depending on which perspective you subscribe to this term is either highly objectionable and offensive or reasonable and necessary. Let me first give you the two angles everyone is coming at it from. One gives the picture of a bad employee, disengaged, taking long breaks, checking out the second the clock hits end time. In general not doing enough. On the other side, it is about doing the job you were hired for and nothing more, having boundaries, not answering work calls on weekends. Basically having a work life balance.
The term quiet quitting itself has come under scrutiny. Many call it quiet working. The idea is to do the work you have, while also prioritizing life outside of work as well.
These opposing definitions reminded me of a conversation I had with someone recently. She was telling me how important it is to prioritize your health while you are working. I told her about my first job. In the eagerness to prove myself, I would eat only after finishing a certain chunk of work. So, my first meal would be at 4 or 5 pm in the evening. I admit this was self-imposed. But it does highlight what the mindset of “hustle” brings to the table. I must point out, I was not the only one that worked in such an extreme fashion in that organization. Something that was pointed out to me when I complained about the amount of work I had. No one in that company could boast having a personal life.
The way this organization functioned– making overwork a norm for its employees, expecting this from everyone, pressuring them to take on extra unpaid work, was not an aberration from other offices I heard about.
Another friend worked in an organization with a boss who took on work without arranging for a team or a plan. They ended up working seven days a week. Some of their clients were based outside India, so on top of having no breaks, they also got no sleep. My friend and her boss fought many ugly fights about this to no avail. This continued, till my friend burned out in seven months and quit the work.
She was exhausted, jumbling words in sentences and started dreading work which excited her beforehand. It’s a concept that everyone has become familiar with over the last few years, as this increased tenfold during the pandemic. There were no boundaries. Salaries were slashed, hours were increased. The job and financial insecurities kept people working throughout their burnouts.
Mental health professionals will tell you how detrimental burnout is on your mental and physical health. It is better for living a well-adjusted life, to have healthy boundaries
My first job tiring as it was taught me a valuable lesson; realize when you are overdoing it. Organizations will appreciate overworking. Few people will stop you from harming yourself with work. You have to look out for yourself and if possible, some of your colleagues.
Wary from my previous experience, I was especially guarded in my second office. This place though had a healthier work life balance than the first. In fact, there were days we had no work at all. But I remember my hackles going up if someone asked me to do any extra work or attend extra meetings. When I was offered a leadership responsibility there, I found myself saying no! That is something I do regret. I later understood this hyper-vigilance was simply not trusting myself to set the appropriate boundaries.
I realized this when another friend of mine, joined a new company and told me about his experience. While in conversation with his colleagues it came up that he knew video editing and animation. When they discovered this skill, they asked him to take on responsibilities in that area as well. He responded, “Sure, but pay me for that extra responsibility.” He and his boss are now in a silent feud. For those holding their breath in suspense, they refused to pay him more and he refused to do the extra work. Even though his boss disapproves, it set the right precedent. It seems so easy, do your work to the best of your ability and draw your boundaries.
But this ease comes with a few hard steps. First is to shift the belief that business equals success. It is difficult because we compare ourselves with more successful others. this narrative is also pushed on us by our seniors, juniors and colleagues who believe this is the only way to grow. So, it is difficult to do. I only realized it after I burned out in my first job. I hope you who are reading it realize it sooner.
Further, it is important to know your own self. How much are you willing to do? How much can you give your best in? What do you enjoy doing? What would you like to challenge yourself to do? If you know this, you will know when to say no and when to ask for more work. An experience in a leadership position would have been great. I would have taken it on if I knew how to negotiate and ask for lesser responsibilities on other fronts.
The expectation increasingly has become to keep taking on extra responsibilities, to the detriment of your health. Further it may adversely affect the quality of work produced. So, work well, I do believe any work we do should make us proud. But it is not the only thing that can make us proud. So my hope is, all of us learn to live a balanced joyful life.
Know that a system, which overworks and overburdens its employees, is a weak system and must be replaced.
References
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/how-to/quiet-quitting-why-doing-less-at-work-could-be-good-for-you-and-your-employer/articleshow/93696018.cms
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/08/quiet-quitting-not-real-work-culture