Key Takeaways:

1. The new workplace trend of “quiet quitting” has been raising questions about how people in the workforce are currently operating at their jobs.
2. It is important to think about “quiet quitting” as a response to certain thoughts and feelings that individuals are having about their jobs. Understanding those thoughts and feelings can be helpful in getting in touch with underlying needs.
3. COVID-19 has complicated how we work. Working towards acceptance of that complexity can be challenging to do. Therapy is one tool for easing this process.

Have you been hearing about the new workplace trend called “quiet quitting?”

Through a flurry of Tik Tok videos that were posted in mid-late August of this year, workers across the country were commenting on how work habits, expectations, and motivations have been shifting over the last few years under the umbrella of “quiet quitting.” While there are as many interpretations of this phrase as there are commentators, the two main perspectives that have arisen are: (1) “quiet quitting” is a valid approach to work ethics, and (2) “quiet quitting” is synonymous with giving up.

First of all, “quiet quitting” doesn’t actually mean leaving a job. Rather, it references the observed change of mindset that workers have when approaching their job in today’s world – instead of going above and beyond, they complete tasks as needed and redistribute that extra energy elsewhere.

If you’re wondering how this trend relates to a mental health blog, let me explain. When people change their behavioral response – in any setting, and especially on a cultural scale – it means that there is something significant happening in their feelings and thoughts about what they are responding to. Understanding how our behavior responses are linked to and impacted by our thoughts and feelings is one of the basic tenets of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT.

“Quiet Quitting” is the current vernacular used to describe a behavior response to individual and collective thoughts and feelings that people are having about their work. To better understand what feelings and thoughts this behavior is responding to, it is important to consider how work is fitting into a person’s life. Is there a balance between work and life that feels sustainable and fulfilling? Is the content of the job engaging and satisfying? How is prioritization happening and is there a need to make adjustments?

It is also important to consider “quiet quitting” in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our jobs and the environments in which we work look a lot different than they used to, and there is going to be a necessary adjustment period for each person who has been impacted by those shifts. It is possible that “quiet quitting” is part of that adjustment, or it could be an indicator that there is something deeper going on that deserves attention.

Balancing work and life is a challenge that most people face. Before placing judgment on yourself or others for “quietly quitting,” pause and consider what has led to this behavioral response and work towards understanding. Therapy can be a tool to use for navigating thoughts and feelings that you might be having about your current work or work habits. If you are interested in speaking with a clinician at Start My Wellness about this or other transitions, please reach out to our office today.