A TikTok trend is urging Gen Z workers to do the bare minimum at work, in order to avoid burnout, as they ‘recalibrate what’s important to them’ after Covid.
Thousands of young employees have admitted online recently to ‘quiet quitting’ – a social media sensation which encourages staff to reject the idea of going ‘above and beyond’ at work, while still getting paid the same.
The change in attitude has come after more than two years of a huge shift in working patterns since coronavirus first broke out.
Millions were forced to work from home at the height of lockdown and many employees – including a number of civil servants – are still enjoying some level of flexibility or ‘hybrid-working’.
In that time, workers who may have previously been happy to put in extra hours when asked by bosses are now not doing so, seemingly inspired by the TikTok trend.
It comes against a backdrop of staff shortages in a host of sectors across the economy, with many managers having to deal with a growing labour crisis.
Research by HR, payroll, and benefits platform Employment Hero research shows the pandemic hit young people’s motivation the most, with some 51% of those surveyed saying it had decreased the importance placed on their career.
Furthermore, almost two thirds of workers said they’ve recently experienced burnout, while less than half thought their work-life balance was ‘good’.
But while the movement has gathered pace and appears to be empowering many young workers to stick strictly to their contracted hours, a number of employment experts are urging caution.
Jill Cotton, Career Trends Expert at Glassdoor, told MailOnline: ‘Workers should not see this as a long-term solution to any problems they have in the workplace.
Thousands on TikTok have admitted to ‘quiet quitting’ – which involves rejecting the idea that workers need to go ‘above and beyond’ at work (stock image)
‘While you think you might be quiet quitting and doing the bare minimum, those around you may think you are literally just showing your face, you don’t like your job and want to hide behind others.
‘Is there a danger of losing your job when quiet quitting? I would say yes. It can really damage your long-term career prospects.
‘If you are not looking for extra opportunities, access to training, engaging with leaders and making your work known, just coming in and going away, it’s difficult to achieve anything.
‘The other big danger of using quiet quitting as a long-term strategy is that your experience might stagnate while your peers move on, making it tricky to find another job.
‘And in future interviews when hiring managers ask for examples of your achievements, if you are doing the bare minimum you may struggle for answers.
‘This doesn’t mean that the only way to get ahead is to work yourself to the bone or put yourself at risk of burnout, but if you find yourself wanting to disengage from your role, reflect upon why this might be and talk to your line manager.’
Similarly, Charlotte Davies, Career Expert at LinkedIn, added: ‘The quiet quitting trend is a short-term fix and doesn’t address the bigger issue of striking the right balance between your priorities at work and life.
‘In an increasingly uncertain economic environment and tougher jobs market, it might not be the most prudent move and could hamper your career.
‘Progressive workplaces understand that employees who have better work-life balance can be more productive and want to support you, so you won’t need to take matters into your own hands.
‘Having an open and transparent conversation with your manager is the best way to address this so you can set clear boundaries and better ways of working, however, if the conversation isn’t productive perhaps it’s not the right role for you and it’s time to look for something new.’
Data from the Office for National Statistics suggests the UK worker carried out around 22 days of overtime a year, against a backdrop of rising inflation, and declining real-terms pay.
The trend gained attention on TikTok, when one user posted a video which has since been shared hundreds of thousands of times.
In it he said: ‘I recently learnt about this term called ‘quiet quitting’ where you’re not outright quitting your job but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond at work.
‘You’re still performing your duties but you’re no longer subscribing to the hustle culture and mentality that work has to be your life.
‘The reality is it’s not and your worth as a person is not defined by your productive output.’
Charlotte Boffey, head of services at Employment Hero (left), said the rise of quiet quitting represented a strong pushback against work eating into home hours, but Jill Cotton from Glassdoor (right) urged caution over
Charlotte Boffey, head of services at Employment Hero, said the rise of quiet quitting represented a strong pushback against work eating into home hours, which became particularly acute during the pandemic.
‘After Covid, people are re-evaluating their priorities, with our research showing over half of young UK workers saying the pandemic made them decrease the importance they place on their career.
‘For many years as technology has improved and made connectivity and working easier, it has also meant work has encroached into our personal lives more and more. With covid we saw the absolute combination of work and personal lives.’
She added that going home on time should not necessarily be seen as ‘quiet quitting’ and managers should not create an expectation of long hours.
‘Completing your tasks on time and then heading home when work hours are over is not ‘quiet quitting’ – it’s good time management. And putting in place boundaries around work is key to prevent burnout.
‘Employees do not want to work significant amounts of overtime anymore, they want to bring their whole selves to work, to spend time with their families and they want flexibility.’
Cheryl Travers, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource at Loughborough University also pointed to Covid as a factor.
She told the Evening Standard: ‘Psychologically, it’s classic equity theory. If we put all that in, we want something back. Employers aren’t giving it back, so we’re going to take it.
‘For years people have been putting so much effort into work and didn’t necessarily feel like they got a lot back.
‘Over the pandemic a lot of people got to experience spending more time with their family or even just spend a bit more time in their garden, and are now recalibrating what’s important to them.’