Explained | What is quiet quitting?

No, quiet quitting does not mean quitting your job.

The story so far: If you are a social media user, chances are that you have seen the term “quiet quitting” while scrolling through at least one of your feeds.

The idea of quiet quitting has received an impetus from Gen Z videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, but the concept has been around for decades.

Contrary to what its name suggests, quiet quitting does not mean quitting one’s job. It only means that an employee performs the duties assigned to them and does not go above and beyond what their job description requires them to do.

Zaid Khan, a digital content creator from New York, posted a video about quiet quitting on his TikTok channel in July. Since then, his video has been viewed thousands of times and shared widely. 

Mr. Khan has also made appearances on news platforms like Al Jazeera to talk about work-related stress during the pandemic and how his life has changed after he set boundaries at work. 

Quiet quitting can be seen as a direct opponent to hustle culture – the practice of making every moment count towards working and making money. It shifts the focus back to setting boundaries at work and ensuring a better work-life balance for employees. 

Some important aspects of quiet quitting include learning to say “no” to taking on additional responsibilities at work, and not checking emails outside office hours or while on vacation.