Lworking tired. Worn out. Steal time from life. And then more and more people, between resignations and real work, choose the third way, that is quiet quitting. The English term can be translated as silent resignation but the phenomenon indicates a varied work behavior. That of those who, at the stroke of 8 working hours, take the door and the way home and enjoy the family, the gym, in short, the rest of their life. But also those who, when sitting at the desk, limit themselves to carrying out the minimum wage, and nothing more. In recent times, psychology experts say, similar attitudes have multiplied, from Boston to Milan. As a probable side effect of the pandemic, it is in progress a sort of “collective epidemic” of little desire to work.
Quiet quitting may be quiet fired
The Financial Times warns: those who carry out silent resignations could soon be silently fired. That is, the employee could find himself “quiet fired”: marginalized, with less responsibility and impossible access to promotions and raises. Companies have always known how to “silently fire”, and push their employees to real resignations. However, in recent years they have accepted a certain general disengagement. The “excuse” was the pandemic, the advantage was being able to profess to be a company respectful of workers. To the point, however, that, according to Gallup, today half of the US workforce is quiet quittingthat is, it does only what is in its minimum duties and no more.
Is it the Checco Zalone syndrome?
However, it is worth making some distinctions. As the psychologist and counselor Claudia Elisabetta Muccinelli explains on behalf of TherapyChat, there are general reasons that can explain quiet quitting as a phenomenon and others that are more personal. “There are those who work less in terms of time spent in the office (avoid overtime) and not quality, and those who avoid tasks as they always have, just a little more, at Checco Zalone, so to speak.“. So let’s try to investigate.
For Italy, let’s start with two data: 22% of requests and psychological support received in the last year from the online psychology platform TherapyChat it was for problems related to the workplace, self-esteem and personal growth. And 46% of workers claim that their working condition has greatly influenced their psychological well-being (TherapyChat research in collaboration with Ipsos).
A particular era: the life balance is the priority
«Quiet quitting can be read as a possible e silent ‘rebel’ against the super-work culture: the transition from ‘workaholism’ to quiet-quitting would therefore also be an awareness of the damage that self-denial to work can do ”, explains Muccinelli.
In short, you want regain possession of that relevant part of life that does not coincide with work and profession: the pandemic and the various lockdowns would have led to a general re-evaluation of all leisure activities and social contacts, leading to the search for a different balance between work and private life. A new life balance.
“Balance that, in the smart working period, was difficult for many to maintain, as the day was heavily unbalanced towards the working side”, continues Muccinelli. Never really disconnected, workers often worked harder than when they were in the office, pre-pandemic. But very few employers recognize it (again from the FT: for 80% of smart working companies it is equivalent to less effort).
Checco Zalone Syndrome?
But there are also cases, however, quiet quitting has reasons related to a ‘dissatisfaction with a certain company or organizational size. “In this sense”, explains Muccinelli, “quiet-quitting would become a form of what psychology defines counter-productive work behavior as a form of anti-productive work behavior, which is often found in unsatisfied and unmotivated workers“.
To understand if it concerns us, we could ask ourselves some questions, the psychologist suggests: «Is it the same? Have there been any changes? In introducing ourselves to other people, we use to define ourselves according to our profession (example, “I am a lawyer” rather than “I am a lawyer”)? How much do we ‘identify’ with the values of the company or organization we work for? “
Quiet quitting, if it’s (also) the boss’s fault
And if we must naturally take into account a share of chronic slackers, it is also possible that part of the responsibility for this disaffection of the employee is also of the employer. According to the Harvard Business Review, silent abandonment is not so much about the willingness of employees to work more or less, as much as the ability of managers to build a relationship with employees that does not cause them to look forward to leaving the office. According to Gallup’s 2022 State of global workplace report only 14% of employees in Europe can be considered truly involved in their work. The thesis is therefore that the spread of quiet quitting in recent months has to do with a failure of managers to reconcile company objectives with the individual and collective well-being of their employees.
The solutions? It depends on the case
Quiet quitting can be a positive stimulus if it goes in the direction of a better balance between work and private life. In short, those who avoid overworking beyond their hours could work better during the working day, because they are more satisfied with themselves in general.
If that’s the case, some tips. For those who find themselves working in smart working, it is useful to “break” the continuity between the two areas, the work and the personal one. Avoiding overalls while working and giving themselves precise schedules.
For anyone who is back in the office, try to “Do not take home” neither work nor conflicting emotions related to work.
Try to set the right limits to super work, negotiating them with your team, managing holidays and leaves in order to avoid an accumulation of stress.
Change can be better than quiet quitting
In the event that the silent resignation is a reaction to a specific dissatisfaction with that specific job, you can try to address the issue with the employer, making sure that there are no other more suitable roles in the company. “If we realize that our efforts and our “silent resignations” are not generating improvements, it is important to find the strength and motivation to change, move on»- underlines the psychologist Simona Bocci on behalf of TherapyChat.
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