Is Quiet Quitting Advisable?

Maybe you have heard of quiet quitting – doing the minimum, not a bit more. Is that a good idea?

Your boss wants more and more from you and faster and faster. You haven't received any praise from him for a long time. He has refused to give you a pay raise. You have had enough, you’re exhausted. But you don't want to give up. Should you try "quiet quitting"? Work to rule?

As understandable and justified as your concern is we advise you to think twice.

Dire Consequences

True, with quiet quitting, you immediately gain something: A breather, more time for you and your loved ones, a better work-life balance. However, the price can be very high. You have to expect the following consequences:

• Poor qualification of your work
• No development opportunities in the job
• Reduction or loss of your influence in the company
• No promotion, no career
• Stagnation of wages
• Dismissal

Not to be neglected: You may incur the wrath of your work mates who continue to put in the effort. All these factors contribute to the fact that your motivation decreases and your work becomes dull and boring.

The Better Way

Do you want to put up with that? Certainly not over a longer time. If you find yourself in a situation like the one described at the beginning, then we advise you to take the following steps:

• First, talk to your boss. Describe your situation.
• Make suggestions to the boss on how you would like to improve your work situation. Let the boss make suggestions as well.
• Discuss the suggestions with the boss until you reach a solution which works for you.
• Agree on a period of time in which you will try out the new suggestions and set a date to discuss your experiences with the boss.
• Put the result of the discussion in writing and transmit it to the boss.
• Optimize your work situation in further steps and conversations, if necessary. Keep doing this until everything works for everybody.

If this procedure does not lead to a result, then it may make sense for you to choose quiet quitting. Important: consider it as a transitional phase, as a bridging. Quiet quitting can relieve you in the short term, but in the long term it will make you unhappy for the reasons mentioned above. If you cannot improve your work situation, you must look for alternatives.

Hansjörg Schmid

Learn more about quiet quitting in our article on Apunto-Online.