Quiet quitting burnout is real because companies overwork employees and see what their breaking point is. It’s even worse if you are young because companies know you are full of energy and hungry to prove yourself. They take advantage of that.
Companies pay you the bare minimum they can, just enough so that you don’t quit. There’s nothing wrong with giving the bare minimum back, just so you don’t get fired. That’s the whole point of the quiet quitting burnout movement, especially on TikTok.
The pandemic made working conditions at many companies even worse. There was an explosion of revenue and corporate profits due to the pandemic. As a result, they passed on the additional work onto employees without a commensurate increase in pay.
It’s one thing to get paid the amount that reflects the value you bring to your employer. It’s completely another to feel like you are getting the short end of the stick in the transaction. You have a business relationship with your employer, nothing more and nothing less.
There’s a reason why strike walkouts was higher in 2022 than in 2021. Workers are fed up with corporations generating record profits while they get paid crumbs for every bread they bring their employer. Quiet quitting burnout makes sense for a lot of workers, today.
So we have to explore this phenomenon even further.
Quiet Quitting Burnout: What is it?
The best definition of quiet quitting burnout is when employees do the bare minimum work so they don’t get promoted but they don’t get fired either. They do what they were paid to do and nothing more, nothing less.
1) Quiet Quitting Burnout is Doing the Bare Minimum
The fine line is to not do so little work that your bosses are unhappy. But do so little work that your bosses are neither happy nor unhappy. Unless a big economic downturn happens, your bosses can’t say anything bad about you because you are still doing your job.
You are so fed up and feel the burnout from your job that you are resorting to the quiet quitting burnout. It’s a real phenomenon that many employees feel across the globe. Companies have higher expectations of their employees, more so than ever before.
Instead of working until 7pm, you clock out at 5pm and leave the rest of the work for the next day. Instead of answering emails on the weekend, you answer emails on Monday. It’s these subtle differences that companies don’t understand how more pay is worth it to motivate their employees.
Especially if they are making money and want to grow to even higher highs.
2) Quiet Quitting is Workers Being Fed Up
Quiet quitting burnout is employees subtly communicating to their boss that they are fed up with their jobs. They are sick and tired of the inhumane hustle work culture and is looking for a way out. You don’t have to say yes to everything your employer wants to do.
These days, more and more workers are seeking work life balances in exchange for lower pay. My 26 year old was working in finance for a $300k compensation package. He left after 6 months because the new work just wasn’t worth it to him.
The money isn’t everything. There comes a point in time where work life balance matters more. The real big money is made by the ones in their 20s. Companies know these age group is when they are most likely to not complain and work long hours because they don’t have families yet.
There’s nothing wrong with saying I am fed up. it’s becoming much more common now.
3) Quiet Quitting Can be Beneficial to Your Health but Hurt Your Career
So is quiet quitting burnout the best thing to happen since sliced bread for workers? Not quite. Quiet quitting is definitely beneficial and helpful to your health. However, it is hurtful to your career. When you do the bare minimum, your boss isn’t going to go to bat for you when it comes time for promotions.
It is great for your health because you don’t let the stress affect you as much. However, it is detrimental if you want to move up in life and get ahead of other people. Life isn’t always about getting ahead. Sometimes, you need to take breaks to move forward.
Taking one step back to move three steps forward is not something that people have the foresight to do. People care about whaat they’re giving up today instead of focusing on what they gain tomorrow. At a certain point, you have to be honest with yourself and recognize when the money just isn’t worth it.
Your holistic results you generate throughout your life matters much more.
Quiet Quitting Burnout: What to do
So then how do you execute the quiet quitting burnout plan beautifully? Below are 7 ways you can do so.
1) Make Sure You Don’t Fall Behind in Work
This is an absolute must. No matter how much self care you want to implement for your health. No matter how much you are fed up with your job, you cannot let your work slip. At the least, you have to do what your boss expects and wants you to do.
It’s your job and the reason they hired you in the first place. Quiet quitting burnout doesn’t mean you shirk all of your responsibilities. The good part is, if you work for a big corporation, there’s little chance the company will do anything about it, unless you are that bad of an employee.
When I worked for Fortune 500 companies, even the bad workers didn’t get fired unless the company was losing money. Big companies with the money don’t usually lay off employees if they are making money. However, at the very least, you have to complete the tasks that are assigned to you.
You cannot skip this step. Otherwise you are setting yourself up to get fired.
2) Take Care of Your Health
Quiet quitting burnout means prioritizing your health over your employer’s profits. This means exercising regularly every week. It means breathing fresh air outside and soaking in the sun. Take care of your health because that’s all that matters by the end, anyway.
When you leave at 5pm and go home, there’s no need to turn on the tV and watch TV every single day. You can spend some time outside by going on a walk. Or you can do any number of a hundred other things that doesn’t involve just moping around and watching TV.
Your health is all that matters at the end. If you don’t take care of your health in your 20s, your 30s and 40s will be beyond miserable. I’m in my late 20’s and I already feel the effects of bad health that takes a toll on my mental and physical health.
No amount of promotion and pay is worth it. You should wake up every day feeling good about yourself.
3) Make To-Do Lists
Going the quiet quitting burnout route means making to-do lists so you knock out the daily tasks you need to complete. Quiet quitting does not mean letting go of work altogether. It means stepping back when you need to and at least complete the day to day tasks that you need to do.
To-do lists are great at reminding you what you need to complete by the end of the day. Then don’t add any more items as you complete the tasks throughout the day. That’s how you know you’re doing just enough and not going above and beyond.
You plan your days out in advance to see what you will and won’t accomplish. It’s not easy to think about things to do just in your head. You’re going to forget what you have to do throughout the day because our memory capacity is only so big.
To-do lists are valuable to executing quiet quitting the right way.
4) Keep a Note of Your Accomplishments
Quiet quitting burnout is all about doing the bare minimum so you don’t get fired. However, there may come a time when your boss perceives and thinks that you are not pulling in your weight. At that point, it’s best practice to have an accomplishment list ready.
I keep an accomplishment list of 3 things that went well for the week. I spend ~5 mins a week to compile the list together. Your accomplishment list is what saves you from getting fired or if your boss thinks you’re not pulling in your weight.
You’re not doing anything to impress someone else but doing it so you can save yourself if the time comes. The recession of 2022 taught everyone that not every job is guaranteed. Amazon announced 10,000 job cuts that happened by the end of that week.
No one is safe. Companies can let go of anyone in a second.
5) Talk to Your Boss
Another way to negotiate and manage your workload is to talk to your boss. Your boss was in your shoes before. However, they could either be sympathetic to your concerns or they could be judgmental to your concerns. Some bosses can go either way and it’s a risk to go to them for help.
However, what’s even worse is not even trying anything at all. By communicating to your boss of your high workload, there’s at least a chance that you improve your life. Quiet quitting burnout involves talking to your boss and using your negotiating skills.
How great would it be to lower your workload and implement the quiet quitting burnout plan at the same time? Companies could pay you the same at 1/4th the workload. You scored a raise! When you figure out how to master the uncomfortable conversations very well is when the world opens up to you.
It’s time to put your communication skills to work.
6) Don’t Waste the Extra Time
When you go through the quiet quitting burnout route, you have extra time to spend on your hands. There’s no need to waste the extra time. It’s not the time to just watch TV. It’s the time to go the ultra relaxing route or to go the side hustle route and pursue passion interests.
Whatever it is, your extra time is a gift that you should take advantage of quite well. Otherwise, you might as well not have quiet quit in the first place. There’s a reason why you want more time outside of work. It’s to pursue your hobbies or it’s to relax even more.
It’s time to maximize the utility you can gain from the extra time. Too many people waste time watching TV and moping around without a purpose. Time is a gift that many of us take for granted. It’s the most precious commodity and resource we have at our disposal.
It’s time to make the most of it. Especially if it’s free time we can use to improve our lives.
7) Ask for More Pay
Companies these days, expect and demand so much of their employees. Employees, in turn, are chumps if they are not expecting and demanding more back! Quiet quitting burnout means the level of value you provide is not commensurate with the level of pay you get in return.
Companies want to give 1 and get 10 in return. It’s why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Whether we want to admit it or not, money buys happiness. If you work better at your job by getting paid more, then that’s a good thing for both you and your company!
Employees remain silent for so long while their company goes and make record profits and their CEO gets 10x richer than them. That’s not the right model. It’s capitalism, meaning you deserve to partake in the upside as well. You are an important stakeholder in the entire capitalism machine.
Companies should pay you fairly!
Quiet Quitting Burnout is Real
When I was a fresh college graduate, I didn’t think about any burnout. I thought my health could withstand any amount of work hours that’s out there. I’m no longer that naive. Even though I’m in relatively good health, that doesn’t mean I can withstand any work condition.
There’s a limit to how much output I can put out with the amount of input that I have. Quiet quitting burnout is real and I no longer want to get to the top as fast as I can and as much as I can. I just want to do good work and if I happen to get ahead, then so be it.
Working conditions are supposed to get even worse as time passes. Companies are taking away employees’ rights every single day. Companies are illegally closing down shops with unions. The first unionized Starbucks shop in Seattle closed.
Companies just don’t like it when their employees hold power over them. It’s time to fight back and use quiet quitting burnout to your advantage. If employees just sit back and watch as companies gain power over them, the next generation of employees suffer as well.
The world is getting worse with the highly concentrated number of people in power gaining even more power and influence over the little guys. The little guy can only fight back by using the resources that they have. You can’t sit back idly and let someone else take your lunch money!
It’s time to do something about it.
Quiet Quitting Burnout: What to do Shortlist
- Make sure you don’t fall behind in work
- Take care of your health
- Make to-do lists
- Keep a note of your accomplishments
- Talk to your boss
- Don’t waste the extra time
- Ask for more pay
