Earlier this year TikToker Zaidleppelin posted a solemn 17 second video about his approach to work.
What the US-based musician didn’t realise at the time was that he would kick off a global phenomenon called ‘quiet quitting’.
WATCH BELOW: On ‘quiet quitting’ or how to reject hustle culture
The name itself is a misnomer, quiet quitting doesn’t involve leaving your job. What it does mean is rejecting the idea of going above and beyond for your employer without adequate compensation.
It means not coming in early, leaving at the end of your shift, not asking for extra assignments and so on. It means doing what you’re paid to do but nothing more.
Employers have been concerned about quiet quitting for a while but recently NPR published an article on the trend which pushed it into the mainstream.
The concept isn’t entirely new, last year employees in China created a movement called ‘lying flat’ as a way of rebelling against gruelling work hours.
Back at home, Australian workplaces are certainly ripe for quiet quitting, especially since we have one of the worst burnout rates in the world.
According to a report by the work management app Asana, four in five Australians suffered from burnout in 2020. That puts us six percent above the global average.
This is probably due to the fact that we’ve been going ‘above and beyond’ for the entire pandemic.
Last year Aussies did over six hours of unpaid work a week. That’s almost an entire day of unpaid labour.
Quiet quitting seems like a good antidote, and it’s vastly better for employers than ‘The Great Resignation’.
For many of us who have been ingrained into hustle culture our entire careers, it can be difficult to pare back our work output. But experts suggest quiet quitting has some benefits.
The whole trend aims to restore work-life balance. The 40 hour week was created so we could enjoy time away from work, but the internet and mobile phones have slowly chipped away at that idea.
Quiet quitting wants to restore the barrier, kind of like having the right to disconnect.
A better work-life balance is better for your mental health and in the long run is going to make you a better employee. You’re likely to become more productive and less likely take time off. You’re also less likely to actually quit your job.
As more of the TikTok generation join the workforce it’s possible quiet quitting will become the norm.
So today, when you reach the end of your shift, log off and enjoy your free time. You’ve earned it.
WATCH BELOW: PM Jacinda Ardern responds to comments on women in the workplace
