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Doing as little work as possible to continue to collect a paycheque?
Checked out of chatting or socializing with co-workers?
Starting late and leaving early?
Feeling tired, burnt-out, uninterested and unappreciated?
If you answered 'yes' to anyone or all of those questions you may very well be 'quiet quitting' your job.
'Quiet quitting' doesn't have anything to do with actually resigning your position.
But it has everything to do with disengaging from your job as much as possible without getting fired and still getting paid.
"I'm seeing a lot more people who are burnt out from work and dealing with all the challenges of working in this post-pandemic world," said registered clinical counsellor Hailey Kanigan of Next Step Counselling Group in Kelowna.
"It's not their choice to be doing the bare minimum, but a by-product of burnout."
Kanigan defines burnout as prolonged stress causing physical, emotional and mental exhaustion.
"It's the kind of exhaustion that a couple of days of rest doesn't fix," she said.
"Workers have to set work-life boundaries, do more things that bring them joy, have good diet, exercise and sleep and strong relationships and friendships. Employers have to recognize and support workers, build strong teams, pay well, give workers enough time and pay to do tasks and make benefits dollars available for counselling and wellness."
Of course, all that is easier said than done.
And it needs to be a customized approach for almost every worker.
Some employees have come to enjoy the work-from-home life COVID forced on us for its flexibility and scrapping commute times.
But they need to be supported and recognized by their bosses, even if there isn't day-to-day, face-to-face interactions.
Other workers flourish in the office or out in the field so they can collaborate with co-workers, customers and clients.
They too, need to be supported and recognized.
Many 'quiet quitters' stopped going above and beyond because it often leads to employers asking for more, often without more pay, and doesn't necessarily earn the loyalty or appreciation from your boss.
The 'quiet quitting' phenomena also ties into the post-pandemic trends of the 'great resignation' where people quit their jobs or retired early because COVID have them the wake-up call they they didn't necessarily like their job, their boss or their life.
It's also led to the labour shortage everyone's talking about.
The term 'quiet quitting' was actually coined at a Texas A&M University economic symposium discussing diminishing ambitions of workers in 2009.
'Quiet quitting' popped up and became part of the modern lexicon last year with some Chinese workers adopting it and Tik Tok videos about it going viral.
Lately, mainstream media and every pundit, boss and worker seems to be discussing 'quiet quitting.'
While it's a catchy term to bandy about, no one seems to have any real idea how many people are actually 'quiet quitting.'
Some surveys say 5% are 'quiet quitting' others alarming say it's as high as 50% (such as a Gallup poll in the US).
Whatever the real number, 'quiet quitting' is a bona fide trend that seems to be gaining momentum.
'Quiet quitting' may be a mental health symptom as registered clinical counsellor Hailey Kanigan outlined earlier.
But it might also simply be a rejection of the idea that work has to take over your life.
'Quiet quitting' doesn't have to be loud or disruptive.
It can be a hushed decision to do only what's outlined in your job description, giving up the notion of going above and beyond and politely declining extra work, extra hours and any work conditions that are unsuitable in an effort to achieve or maintain work-life balance and happiness.
In that sense, the most well-adjusted people and workers may have been 'quietly quitting' their entire lives and careers.
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