The Battle for Balance: Reframing "Quiet Quitting"

Earlier this year brought us the “Great Resignation”. August presented us with “quiet quitting”. This latest topic has spawned a somewhat polarizing debate concerning the definition of a "good employee". From all of the articles and Tik-Toks to date, I find the most interesting of threads to focus more on the catalysts for this shift in perceived work ethic. For many of my clients, the term “quiet quitting” is inflammatory and implies the hustle mentality is still status quo, even at the expense of our own mental health.. If there is one silver lining of the pandemic, it is that many employees and small business owners have been able to step back and reevaluate the purpose and cadence of their work, the connections they want or need, and what it means to show up in life beyond this one identity.

In her August 19th article (linked HERE), Amina Kilpatrick of NPR, reframed "quiet quitting" as something less contemptuous than employees becoming “lazy” and more likely a shift in their prioritization of self-care. If the "great resignation" has taught me anything, it is that the pandemic provided enough of a pause for many in the workforce to reevaluate what is truly valuable and what they need individually to prevent career burnout. No savvy employer seeks to cultivate a burn-out cycle for staff. Balancing our personal self with our professional one takes reflection, collaboration, honesty, and practice. Who can I be at work when I set healthy boundaries and ensure that I am rested physically and mentally?

We all have feelings about how we are identified at work, socially, and at home. In the last 3 years, there has been a rise in burnout for several industries, including healthcare, that has impacted each of us in the form of longer wait times for care or service or a shrinking market of providers, retailers, and services. Losing connections that help us manage our own self-care and purpose can rupture our beliefs around work, our work identity, and purpose. That doesn’t make us lazy. To some, it looks like apathy. I would argue that it could also be a reflection of the importance of the “other Vitamin C” - Connection. Maintaining connection during the last 3 years has been an Olympic exercise in sustained effort, more often through virtual measures. No matter how smart the technology is, it is not a replacement for human presence. Finding our way back to that connection is something that I hear from all of my clients.

Many of my adult clients have focused on self-care and work-life balance during the pandemic, as the waters muddied between the two during its height. Replace the word "work" with "school" and one could argue that our students fought to reset their own version of burnout from online classes, disconnection from education, and the absence of in-person interaction. Those who are feeling more successful this semester have put in the work around rediscovering or redefining that purpose, reconnecting to educational institutions or employers, and reframing their beliefs around the pressures that come with high achievement goals or expectations. For adults and students alike, that can look like a form of resignation - changing careers, taking a gap year, or finding a better environment that reignites the meaning in their work. This was not a moment of quitting. I would argue instead that for most it was an intentional step back to recover from the effort exerted during abnormal circumstances, and an opportunity to reconnect with their purpose. The big “why”. Why is this important? Why am I here? Knowing your personal “why” can help you define what truly matters to you. When your work and life have a purpose, you show up differently. You are more connected.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.”
— Stephen Covey

What grounds you? What excites you? Zaid Con was quoted in a recent episode of the WSJ Podcast Your Money Matters, sharing his view on “quiet quitting”. I think it provides an honest view of how the last few years have propagated a “great reflection” on identity. For Con this movement means that “(y)ou're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality, that work has to be your life. The reality is, it's not, and your worth as a person is not defined by your labor.”

So what are the potential negatives to this choice? The potential downsides of “quietly quitting” were aptly reviewed by Katherine Cullen MFA, LMSW in her August 23rd article for Psychology Today (read it HERE). If working less creates less engagement or connection to the value of your work, you may start to show up less or become more apathetic about the work you are doing. You are, in essence, disconnected. If setting these boundaries reduces your level of engagement and purpose at work(or school), that is not good for anyone - you or your employer. As Cullen advises, finding a healthy balance that boosts your connectivity to the work you are doing can be a boon for your mental health. On the opposite plane, disengaging from your job and offering the bare minimum is shown to decrease job satisfaction altogether and can negatively impact your mental health.

As we begin the first full month of the school year and say farewell to summer vacations, I encourage each of you to sit with yourself, revisit your current goals and priorities, and check that your values align with your intentions. Are you connected? If not, what might you need to define your purpose in life, work, and social environments? How can you help support your team, family, and partners in this same exercise? What do you need to stay engaged and healthy?

I have been doing a fair bit of reflection on my own this summer, and I am ready to reconnect with my clients, colleagues, and friends in ways that anchor me to the intention of fostering a deeper presence within each of these relationships. My purpose is clear. My intention is definable, My identity is in alignment. It doesn’t mean that some days still feel like walking through molasses. It means that I can see the other side and my path is clear. I’m constantly reevaluating what “better balance” looks like as the seasons of life change. I haven’t quit, by any means. Like some, maintaining healthy work-life boundaries revs me up for a long day’s work.

You can read and listen to more of what I have read on Quiet Quitting through one of these links below:

Kate BarrettComment