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This past week, articles talking about “quiet quitting” have appeared all over the internet. This started based on a set of articles complaining that younger workers are doing the unthinkable: They leave when their shift is over, and they go home. That’s right. They go home. They are officially “clocked out.” Growing up, one of the best moments on TV was watching Fred Flintstone see the bell signaling the end of the workday, making a dash to his foot-powered car, and rushing home. People could relate and no one had any other expectations. All of that changed with the arrival of the cell phone and then the internet. Phone calls could be answered off hours, on a company-provided phone. You always had email. Working at a company when pagers were first rolled out to managers, a manager said to the group: “Well, I guess you have us all on a leash now.” That was 1997.
The Wall Street Journal, that bastion of workers rights and understanding, led off with an article explaining the situation, and Clayton Farris, 41, offered his thoughts as an employee:
“The most interesting part about it is nothing’s changed,” he said in his TikTok video. “I still work just as hard. I still get just as much accomplished. I just don’t stress and internally rip myself to shreds.”
Two paragraphs later:
Jim Harter, chief scientist for Gallup’s workplace and well-being research, said workers’ descriptions of “quiet quitting” align with a large group of survey respondents that he classifies as “not engaged”—those who will show up to work and do the minimum required but not much else.
Now, let me explain something: The “minimum required” is an adjustable target put in place by the company. Workers are saying they work just as hard, get just as much done, and hit all the company targets; they just aren’t allowing the company to take over their off-hours.
How on earth is this quitting?
While the root of the discussion coming through TikTok and elsewhere boils down to a key understanding that your work is not the most important thing in your life, the backlash has been, in my opinion, completely unreasonable.
Some are offering their own opinions. Arianna Huffington took to implying those who don’t want to work in a hustle culture or after hours are simply not appreciating the things that work life provides them. I would point out that, at 72, Arianna Huffington lived most of her life without cell phones or the internet, despite making large sums of money through that platform in her later years.
Instead, as the person at the top of the infrastructure, she is not someone who would likely be called after hours or see an email that needed a response at 10 PM.
As someone who worked in IT at one point in my life, the least favorite words I could ever hear involved someone walking into my office at 4:50 PM and saying: “I have a quick question.” I always knew it would never be a quick question.
Numerous religious organizations tout a hierarchy of how we should look at life. At the top of the chain is always God, of course, then your family, and finally your work. There are books that advocate this in the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian faiths.
When employees say this is what they want in their life, a better work-life balance, instead, the terms “quiet quitter” are used to attack them as doing less.
What a bunch of bunk.
So, to The Wall Street Journal and those who want to take on people who want a better work-life balance: Remember, once upon a time, many thought the idea of working seven-day weeks and forcing child labor was okay. Unions changed that, and it will not go back. Now, they want to use cell phones, slang, email, and anything else to tell people their work comes first. Well, I know someone who can speak to the reality of what this means.
Work hard. Love where you work (I do!), and go above and beyond to help your company as needed. But don’t feel ashamed for putting your family first. Don’t be ashamed about having some private time for yourself. You need it.
And now, to highlight getting out the VOTE!
Thank you to Peregrine Kate for compiling some of the great work being done by Activism here at Daily Kos, as well as through Connect Unite Act in reminding our community that we are on a clock to preserve Democratic control of the US Senate, House, take back some court benches (or hold them), challenge for Governors and Attorney generals, elect school board members and city council persons. If you’re ready to learn more about what we are doing, and how you can be a part of it, please check out her excellent diary here!