Poor pay, tremendous workload, a better job offer, plain burnout, and lack of opportunities for career growth are nothing new. While employees in different areas are no strangers to any of these, many of them have recently found a way to rebel.
Quiet quitting! This term refers to workers who deliberately choose to do tasks strictly within their job description to avoid working long hours. Not more, not less. Quiet quitting is said to help an employee deal with burnout, alleviate long-term stress, or give them space while looking for another job.
Since there are still many mixed opinions about quiet quitting, it’s best to listen to what people who have been in those situations or have practiced quiet quitting have to say. “What are your thoughts on ‘Quiet quitting’ / ‘Acting your Wage’?” someone asked on Ask Reddit.
Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting stories and honest replies, so scroll down to find what they have to say!
#1
Quiet quitting was coined by corporate to make it sound bad and put employees who do it in a bad light.
Simply put, it means doing exactly what you agreed to and what you are paid for.
This is not quitting by any dictionary I am familiar with. This is plain and simple doing your job.
Corporate ‘culture’ has it you have to work more than you agreed to, more than your contracted hours, more than you are paid for, to impress the employer, to “show you care” and other b******t like that. People are gradually waking up to the realisation that this is all unacceptable.
If we flip this on its head, why doesn’t the company pay me more than we agreed? Or why doesn’t it cut an hour or two off my day’s shift? I’m sure any corporate linguist could find a variety of reasons to respond to that, and those are the exact reasons why the employee should not work past their hours and pay.
So no. ‘Quiet quitting’ doesn’t exist, purely because it has nothing to do with quitting.
Image source: legrenabeach, krakenimages
#2
Just today I decided to do this. I get here 2 hours early to make sure everything is straight so that I can give my boss any updates needed from the night crew. I am supposed to have a 30 min unpaid lunch, I usually work through this. I will also stay later than anyone else just to cover for my bosses so they can go home at their normal time. I am hourly and get overtime so it worked out. I am supposed to only create the training material and make sure everyone is highly trained. This is a industrial environment so we take it seriously. It also causes me to have to come in on my days off sometimes to meet with trainees. I also deal with contractors which is something that no other person in my role has to do. This causes me to some days work from 5 am to 10 pm (I did this Monday and Tuesday this week already) as I am not allowed to work over 16 hours a day. I have never complained as the money was good.
Today my department is told all overtime has to be approved daily. I asked if this included me and it does. Because certain individuals have been caught not working while they are on overtime, the entire department has been punished. I asked if I could go ahead and get my stuff approved as I get up and leave my house around 4:30am and I don’t want to have to call him that early. I was told he sees no benefit of me coming in that early or staying that late.
So I will only work my 8 hours, and I am cutting my phone off during my lunch break. I will not cover for them again nor will I work late to help get us back running. I have turned over the contractor paperwork and will no longer be handling it. Seeing as all that I do is not beneficial, it should not cause us any disruptions.
Image source: silentsnak3, Becca Tapert
#3
The phrase “you get what you pay for” applies to employers too. They shouldn’t expect to get premium production at a discount.
Image source: useyourownnamebit, Bidvine
#4
Has anyone here ever worked somewhere, had a supervisor quit, then had to do the supervisor’s job, but while being told they can’t actually make you officially the supervisor yet, just so they don’t have to give you a pay rise? I’ve known several people who have had this happen to them, and they get strung along with the promise that *eventually* they will have the title and pay rise. No one should fall for it.
Image source: Stevotonin, Sora Shimazaki
#5
I think the pandemic really reset people’s priorities. A lot of people were working from home or unemployed, and spent time with their families, or relaxing, or on self improvement. After a couple years of that, we all realized that maybe working those extra hours every day isn’t that important. Their jobs kept going on, even though they were putting less effort into them.
I’ve noticed a big change at my office. If I stay until 5:30, there’s only a couple cars left in the parking lot. It used to be busy there until 6 or 7 most days! And the place is pretty empty on Fridays, everyone is “working from home”.
People seem to value their personal time a lot more, and I think it’s a good thing. Work to live, don’t live to work!
Image source: Veritas3333, Pixabay
#6
I’ve been doing this for years lol. Just common sense to me. I do what I get paid to do. I do my hours, no more no less. If I have to work overtime I’m claiming every single millisecond of it. It’s a job. Not my life
Had a situation once where someone called in sick and no one could come in to replace them. Which is not the end of the world. Had to stay 30 minutes passed my scheduled time to ensure everything was done, so I put that on my timesheet. When I came in the next day I saw someone scratched out my 30 minutes extra and put in my normal finish time. Obviously that pissed me off so I went to the boss and asked what the f**k was this. They said they don’t pay overtime and other s**t.
So I said well here’s what’s gonna happen. Either you pay me for the extra time or I’ll go straight to the department of labour and file a complaint. Don’t think they expected a 20 year old (at the time) to stick up for themselves.
Image source: publicworker69, Priscilla Du Preez
#7
I was in the Army when a Colonel told me to act my pay grade. Stop doing extra and do what my rank was assigned without the bows and ribbons. Take my lunch, quit working through it. I was worried about things that could wait until the next day.
Work your wage, yo.
Image source: Potential_Sherbet294, Diego González
#8
If you pay me $10 you’ll get a $10 employee.
Image source: CinnyButta, Maxime Agnelli
#9
“Quiet quitting” is a propaganda phrase used by managers and CEOs to try to shame employees who “act their wage”.
Image source: x86_64_, Reza Rostampisheh
#10
This whole concept is completely absurd to me. I do realize that in the US you are probably expected to work harder than what you’re contractually required to do but for instance here in the Nordic countries most people have always “acted their wage.” We don’t live to work, we do our job and go home to live our lives.
Image source: ourstobuild, Agnieszka Boeske
#11
I resent the term “quiet quitting”, as a person who is protective of their time outside office hours. This doesn’t make me a bad employee, it makes me a better one. I’m very good at my job, and am able to do it better than some in fewer hours, and I don’t suffer from burn out because I make sure I get time to switch off. Measure my performance on the work I do, not the time I’m available.
This term really is corporations responding to the mass realisation that they can’t bully and trick 1 person into doing 2 people’s jobs any more.
Image source: AlterEdward, Jason Goodman
#12
We should also include in the conversation “quiet firing” which is where they keep adding more and more tasks with no pay raise.
Image source: TheGrumpyre, Austin Distel
#13
Why should an employer get more than they pay for?
Image source: TalosBeWithYou, Lukas
#14
Not everybody wants to move up and run the place. Some of us just want to put in their 40 hours and go home, and as long as I can pay my bills I don’t need a promotion. So i’m not putting in extra hours and doing extra tasks that aren’t in my job description. The favor some people are trying to gain from employers is for future promotions or perks. I have no interest in those perks. I can turn down that stuff because I don’t work for free. Clock in at 9 clock out at 4:59 having completed all my assigned work whistling as I skip out the door. If they’re going to pay me the bare minimum that they can get away with, this is the effort they get.
Image source: DetroitsFinest88, Marten Bjork
#15
I work in software so salary is the main cost to my employer. They obviously want to pay me as little as possible for as much output as possible which they can then resell for profit.
If I bust my balls to get features out as quickly as I possibly can then there is simply more work after that. If I am lucky I will get a “well done” in a company meeting and if I really fight my case I might get a raise. The only way to get market rates is to get another job offer and then threaten to leave.
The sales team get a bonus when they close a deal but the devs get f**k all when they deliver a massive client project. There is no incentive to deliver more than the minimal expectation so why should I give away my time and skill for free?
Image source: dangerousbrian, James Harrison
#16
To anyone running companies and to everyone in the upperclass thinking this is a problem:
F**k you, pay me my worth.
Image source: PM-Me_Your_Penis_Pls, Towfiqu barbhuiya
#17
Quiet quitting sounds like come corporate b******t to make workers feel ashamed of not giving life and limb for a damn company.
Acting your wage is something a lotta people could use. Don’t get me wrong if you work in a cutthroat industry where you need to put out 110% to chase the bag, go for it but when you’re working at mcd’s for minimum wage you’re better off saving your energy for some courses or even a trade school. As long as your workshare is done, you’re not lazy for not doing more than you’re paid for.
Image source: rb26enjoyer, Visual Karsa
#18
We gotta stop using this term some bootlicker in HR came up with for DOING YOUR DAMN JOB. Regardless of anyone’s political leanings, I’m sure we can all agree that if you want more, you pay for more.
Image source: Caravanshaker, Meghan Lamle
#19
Pay peanuts, get monkeys
Image source: SteliosCnutos, Andrea Piacquadio
#20
Worker productivity has been increasing while wages have remained stagnant. Good to see something addressing the problem.
Image source: nlray8s1
#21
We *are* “acting our wage,”
It just so happens that wage in the teens buys the effort of a teen.
Image source: VoiceoftheLegion1994, unsplash
#22
No company has ever gone above and beyond trying to benefit me. They do the bare minimum, I do the bare minimum.
Image source: Jaredlong, Fabiola Peñalba
#23
As someone who used to bust my a*s and bend over backwards I stopped. Because I was laid off permanently while all the new guys got to keep their jobs because they were “cheaper” and all the promotions I’ve worked my a*s off for were all given to outside hires with no experience. So now I look at as “why bother trying?” There’s literally no incentive to try. Raises aren’t different for people who work harder anymore. It’s all based on how long your with the company.
Image source: Apex_Gypsy, cottonbro studio
#24
I just decided to do this yesterday and I am so much more relaxed.
Work has gone crazy for me recently. I have developed the habit over my career of working my butt off to accomplish as much as humanly possible. It took 3-4 people to replace me at my last job.
The workload here has skyrocketed. My personal life is miserable and I’m just so stressed over everything.
I made the conscious decision to just do what I can to get my work done, and be ok with it if not everything gets done. I’m the only one setting this unrealistic standard for myself. I don’t have to kill myself to do it….and I’m starting to relax and feel just a bit better.
Edit: I grew up and entered the working world under the understanding that if worked hard I would be rewarded. And looking back on everything, that has never actually happened. The only thing that did happen was I was taken advantage of. I had people in my early employment years try to convince me to do their work for them on the side. I was denied raises and underpaid. At my last job I was 100% convinced I was being underpaid. I gave them advanced notice I had received an offer I was taking seriously. I handed in my two weeks notice and they stonewalled me up until the last day. Then the VP pulled me into his office, told me they couldn’t lose me and offered me a massive raise.
I asked about the problems with the company that lead me to quit that I knew they knew about and asked them why they hadn’t fixed any of it yet. Didn’t get a good answer. So I told them no and left.
Proudest day of my career so far. I’d always been so nervous about authority but just knowing they needed me and I didn’t need them gave me such a confidence boost it was amazing.
Image source: Formal_Pigeon, Elisa Ventu
#25
Minimum wage = minimum effort. 99% of companies can afford to pay good wages, they’re just greedy.
Image source: Erect_Llama, Yuri Krupenin
#26
It’s funny to me how people think this is a new thing.
The term for it is new, but people everywhere have always been doing it.
Image source: GrandMil, Hannah Wei
#27
I support it. If you’re under paid then you shouldn’t overwork yourself for someone that won’t give you a good wage.
Image source: Salmonforest, Henry & Co.
#28
You mean doing the correct amount of work you’re being paid for? Sounds like not-slavery
Image source: lordTigas, unsplash
#29
B******t corporate term for just doing your job.
Image source: darkuen, Joe Holland
#30
Quiet Quitting – Sh**ty made up term by companies to guilt their workers into doing a bunch of free s**t they are not being paid for.
Acting your Wage – I get the idea behind it, but im not sure it needs a term. ffs just do what you are being paid for and keep it at that.
Image source: Nox_Stripes, unsplash
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