Stress, burnout, fatigue, and a general lack of emotional drive are common occurrences at one’s workplace, especially if said work makes an employee feel undervalued or causes them to lose their desire to achieve greater heights. However, these feelings have resulted in a new “trend” among workers distinctly linked to a desire to quit their jobs, but not in a way that entirely compromises their position at work. The so-called trends have been dubbed soft and quiet quitting. On the surface, they may sound similar, but there are key differences that this article would like to highlight. So, with that being said, let’s jump right into it.
Table of Contents
A Silent Killer?
Quiet quitting can be best described as coming to work and doing your job. Now that doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well, there’s more to it than meets the eye. When an employee decides to “quit quietly,” it’s less of a matter of leaving their job but rather being so dissatisfied with said job that they decide that they’d much rather not do anything more than what they’re required to do.
While the employee is still getting work done, in some cases just getting work done isn’t enough, and there’s a desire from management for efficiency, particularly in corporations where overachievers are expected to squeeze in just a little bit extra to keep the company’s blood pumping and the bottom line healthy.
However, quiet quitting itself is not unhealthy; in moderation, it can be a good means of relieving stress from work and can help you contribute far more greatly later down the line. Soft quitting is a result of quiet quitting that’s not kept in check and manifests in something far worse.
The Numbing Sensation
Soft quitting is, for the most part, a more advanced form of quiet quitting. Much like quiet quitting, when employees practice soft quitting, they seem relatively normal. However, the deeper issues lie not in the way the employees act but in how they feel. Soft quitting is more of a loss of morale that slowly envelops an employee to the point that eventually they become a loose cannon.
This downturn in morale isn’t something that affects one employee. Humans, being the empathetic beings that we are, tend to be affected by one another’s moods, especially in social and collaborative situations. If one employee feels like quitting, then you can bet that this psychological virus will eventually spread to the rest.
What’s In It For Me?
If you’re a humble employee, doing the standard 9-5 affair at a job that you vehemently loathe, you may be asking yourself one simple question: Why should I do more than what’s asked of me? As the highest-voted comment on a Reddit thread regarding the two forms of quitting says, “…as I like to call them both: doing your job as per the role in which you were hired and are paid.” Maybe you, the reader, also find yourself agreeing with such a statement.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong per se with not contributing beyond your job description, and neither is anybody in management forcing you to. However, it’s important to consider that this form of quitting isn’t simply holding the company back; it’s also holding you, the employee who’s working that 9-5 shift, from achieving growth.
An employee who does the bare minimum without enthusiasm is less a bottleneck and more so a straggler who has much more to achieve but is being held back by burnout and the refusal to work as efficiently as they can. Alongside this lack of enthusiasm and a desire to be better, it can cause friction between employees and management. This can result in the actual loss of one’s job, and then unemployment. An enthusiastic worker who quits straight up is therefore more likely to get a nice shiny referral they can then use for a new job.
With that being said, it’s time for us to address how soft and quiet quitting can be addressed to better help employees at work.
From Top to Bottom
Both management and employees have to share the load when it comes to addressing burnout and fatigue.
Management Woes
The one place that should always be willing to understand and address employee concerns is management. Strong leadership is a necessity to keep employees motivated and strong enough to keep going even during the hardest of times. It should be noted that employees who live in fear of management and losing their jobs despite adequately doing them will be more likely to emotionally clock out on duty. Good managers do everything in their power to create a strong and supportive work environment that boosts morale and decreases turnover rate from the inside. Employees who have a strong desire to do their work will have a lower likelihood of quitting emotionally. Don’t keep them coming back for a paycheck.
The Employee Knows
Work can be rough, management can be frustrating, and co-workers can cut throats. But the thing one needs to understand is that misery at work can more often than not contribute to misery outside the workplace as well. If you’re feeling dissatisfied with your job and there’s nothing anybody’s doing to help, the best thing you can do is help yourself. Quitting internally is more of a one-time solution, which doesn’t really solve any issues and, in the worst-case scenario, can result in worse problems arising.
Personally speaking, I agree that it is important to keep a healthy work-life balance and that not everyone is willing to bring their A-game to their job. However, simply doing your job won’t cure burnout, and it’s for sure not going to get you that coveted pay raise.
What you can do is keep healthy boundaries between yourself and your workplace. Nobody expects you to always be doing your best or to always be smiling at work enthusiastically. But doing so now and then in little doses won’t just help your days be better; it’ll contribute to the general positivity at work as well. Your job isn’t your life; that much is true, but it is your lifeline, so try not to take it too frivolously.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
In conclusion, I think it can be surmised that quiet quitting at its core isn’t something to worry too much about. Management may see it as a potential issue, but that’s only if they’re trying to drive you down further or are worried that your silent service will result in the far more insidious soft quitting. At the end of the day, just do yourself a favor and try not to let your job consume who you are, but don’t let yourself consume your job. For more similar blogs, visit EvolveDash today!
FAQS
- I hate my job. What do I do?
Quit. If you stay, not only do you damage your mental well-being, but you will also become a dark cloud over other employees. Good luck finding a new job!
- What can I do to feel better about work?
If you want to feel motivated at work, there are a variety of things you can do to bolster your motivation; these can range from stretching to taking a short walk or trying to address work differently from usual.
- As an employer, what can I do to make my employees feel motivated?
Try and host recreational activities during off-time to build morale. Award bonuses and promotions to employees who are working efficiently and enthusiastically. Don’t let anyone feel like they’re left out, and try your best not to overburden your employees.
- Am I a bad employee for soft quitting on occasion?
No. Soft quitting can be a healthy way to cope with burnout. When performed in moderation, it can be an easy exercise to help prevent you from losing your job and not being overburdened by work.
- As a manager, why shouldn’t I expect my employees to work after hours? I do it myself.
A good leader shouldn’t expect more from their employees than they can feasibly take. If you, as management, see that some employees are working harder than they should, compensate them for it, but try not to push them down the rabbit hole of working themselves to the point of exhaustion.
