New Work Term: “Quiet Quitting”
I’ve known a few people who went their entire careers like this. Have you heard of the work term “quiet quitting” yet? This viral TikTok video sums it up pretty well:
@zkchillin On quiet quitting #workreform ♬ original sound – ruby
It’s not when you actually quit your job. It just means you stop caring so much and refuse to go the extra mile. So work is NOT your top priority.
Basically, you choose to only perform your specific job duties. So instead of giving 110%, you back it off to whatever you can get away with and not get fired.
The goal is to make sure there’s room for other stuff in your life, so you’re not a workaholic. But obviously there’s a fine line between having a good work-life balance and just being lazy.
And it’s not just trending here. It’s also happening in other countries, including China where they use the term “tang ping,” which means “lying flat.”
It’s possible the pandemic lockdowns caused it. People who were overworked finally got a break . . . realized that free time is nice . . . and wanted more of it.
And the fact that the wealth gap is widening probably hasn’t helped either. When it seems impossible to get ahead, people don’t try as hard.