We’ve all been there. That moment where a customer or colleague tips you over the edge, and the urge to rage quit and flounce out rises. Instead of fully resigning and causing a scene, a new trend has taken over TikTok called ‘quiet quitting’, but what is it and why is it catching on?
What is the quiet quitting TikTok trend?
Let’s face it, with the rising cost of living, monster energy bills and a looming recession few of us can afford to unexpectedly sack off a job, even if you hate it. Instead, ‘quiet quitting’ involves simply doing the bare minimum expected to stay employed. No staying late, no going the extra mile, just phoning it in every day so that the boss can’t say anything.
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Gen Z are the biggest fans of this method, trading in the side hustle and girl boss work-every-hour mentality of many millennials, for ‘quiet quitting’ and doing as little as required and avoiding burnout.
TikTok creator @zaidleppelin has one of the most popular videos, with 3.1 million views and more than 500k likes, explaining how he coined the term and wrote on the video: “Work is NOT your life. Your worth is not defined by your productive output.” He has since turned off the comments on the video.
The hashtag has had nearly 4 million views, with people sharing how they are setting stronger boundaries to achieve a better work/life balance.
Some of the older generations have responded saying it’s sheer laziness and unfair on colleagues, but fans of the method fight back saying if they’re not being paid extra or receiving extra benefits for going above and beyond, then why should they?
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Others have joked saying the #quietquitting isn’t actually revolutionary, after all, it still involves you working.
One creator, posting as @baobao.farm shared a video captioned “Someone please let me know when I can ACTUALLY not show up to work and still get paid”.
She said she was confused by the term, saying it’s just called doing your job with a healthy boundary.
Some creators have shared videos of them on their laptop with a call-centre headset, and slamming it shut and cutting off the call the second the clock ticks over to 5.30pm.
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Creators from all careers are responding though, including teachers pushing back at doing the work of two or three people. Several people were unimpressed with this, saying it’s one thing for corporate jobs to ‘quiet quit’ but not doctors, nurses or teachers.
The trend is still getting bigger, with more people vowing to do the bare minimum at work unless they're fairly rewarded.
Jen Thomas