Katy MacKinnon Hansell, of Katy Hansell Career Strategies, is an Expert Executive Coach and Expert Business Strategist.
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Are you contemplating quiet quitting? Many people are now realizing there is a name for what they have been doing, perhaps subconsciously: "quietly quitting." It means you only do the minimum requirement for the job and no more. It's born out of a conviction that employees are not rewarded with advancement, more pay/bonuses and recognition when they go the extra mile to outperform, so why should they? There is a related recognition that they are taking this marginal freed-up time and energy to invest more of it into their personal life, relationships, fitness/ wellness, hobbies, etc. It is a global phenomenon and a quick glance at TikTok shows you how widespread it is, perhaps most prevalent among younger workers.
Personally, I am all for work/life balance. I do think that all employees should be aware of the basic requirements of their job and when are they being asked to surpass those basic requirements and offer more time and energy to their employer. It should be something that you are aware of so that your decision to invest in your employer is a conscious one.
However, I would offer a different lens to the groundswell of quiet quitting—that of curiosity: Why do you want to quietly quit?
Sometimes these disruptive feelings of discontent are powerful messages urging us to wake up to the truth that we are not living our lives the way we wish. We are often on auto-pilot trying to go through the day and do our job, keep our family functioning and then crash on the sofa with our partner and stare at our small screens. I don't want you to miss the opportunity to reflect if your desire to quietly quit is born of a stronger desire to be doing something else entirely with your work and your life.
Rather than pass judgment on whether people should quietly quit, I am more interested in offering the invitation to use that time to get curious with yourself about what it all means:
- What do you really want from your work life?
- What do you long to be doing with your time and your talents?
- How well aligned is your current work with what you perceive your best talents to be?
- How valued do you feel you are at work?
- How do you feel about your team, your boss, your colleagues?
- If you could do anything and wave a wand, what would it be?
Sometimes erasing constraints and dreamscaping can fuel your creative exploration of what you really want from life and work, from relationships and for your identity and values.
People often find these types of open-ended queries to be overwhelming so I recommend getting two sheets of paper. On the first one write: "What do I want more of in my life? What do I long for?" On the second one write: "What do I want less of in my life? What drains me or fills me with dread?" Find a time when you are in the headspace to do the exercise. Write free-form and try not to reality check or judge what is coming up for you. Try to let it just emerge. Just let it be.
You can return to this exercise whenever you want. It could become a guidepost in your life decision-making and offer you some insights about why you are drawn to quietly quitting, but ultimately, it will be about much more.
I offer this invitation to you: What do you want to be doing with your time? Fundamentally, in the end, all you have in this life is your time and how you choose to spend it. Spend it as you wish.
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