Following the pandemic, many people realised they had been spending most of their time and energy at work, allowing their personal lives, hobbies, and wellbeing to suffer.

With life returning to a semblance of ‘normal,’ some workers are reluctant to return to the rapid pace of hustle culture and productivity anxiety. They have realised their job is not an indicator of their worth and does not define them.

Some responded to this profound awakening to what truly matters by resigning, taking a career pause, or changing their occupation entirely.

But for others, it wasn’t the type of work but the intensity at which they were operating that needed to change.

Enter the phenomenon of ‘quiet quitting’.

Quiet quitting is a growing trend among workers tired of going above and beyond for no additional recognition.

Quiet quitting involves showing up to work and doing precisely what is expected of you, then going home on time. It’s not doing the bare minimum or underperforming, but it’s also not grinding as hard as you can to climb the career ladder.

Quiet quitting isn’t driven by a lack of passion or conscientiousness but a need to address the dire imbalance between work and our personal lives.

The pandemic highlighted the uncertainty and brevity of life, reminding us that even the hardest workers or most esteemed positions could crumble without a moment’s notice. It brought to life the reality that work is not the most important part of our lives.

What you may not know is that quiet quitting is nothing new. It existed long before the term was popularised online, with a different name, as a form of industrial action and advocacy for workers’ rights.

Working to rule: quiet quitting’s origins in trade unions

‘Working to rule’ was first documented in 1972 as a way for people living in places where industrial actions like striking were illegal.

Rather than walking off the job or forming picket lines, staff continued to fulfil their contractual obligations but did nothing ‘extra.’

The crucial difference between working to rule or quiet quitting and an actual strike is that the workers are not breaking any rules.

In fact, they are following their (often complex and conflicting) contractual rules to a tee and refusing to sacrifice their personal lives or wellbeing to reach unattainable targets. The result is usually slowed operations, less profit for the organisation’s executives, with less inconvenience to customers or clients.

Is quiet quitting the end of working hard or a sign that we are finally learning to set healthy boundaries around work?

How quiet quitting impacts women in the workplace

Maintaining firm boundaries about your work scope and hours is an understandable backlash after years of chaotically working from home. Lunch breaks became a thing of the past, and phone calls and emails were answered all day and night.

In many ways, working women bore the brunt of the pandemic’s impacts.

Even in couples where both partners worked the same hours, women took on more household responsibilities. With the lines between home and work life increasingly blurred, women were working more hours and doing more domestic and childcare labour than ever before.

Some women found the new challenge of home-schooling, parenting, and working from home so overwhelming that they left their job or suffered serious burnout. Women were also more likely to be retrenched or lose their jobs during the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the pandemic highlighted and perpetuated a long-standing gender bias that impedes a woman’s ability to enjoy meaningful work. Those who love their job are expected to sacrifice more than their male counterparts to prove their dedication.

Critics of quiet quitting insist that it lowers the bar and hinders overall company performance, preventing everyone from achieving as much success and excellence.

These objections are rooted in antiquated ideas of ‘trickle-down’ success and prosperity, which have been proven to be a myth. With increasing capitalistic work values, inequities and wealth distribution have only widened.

The idea that doing precisely what is expected of you is somehow immoral or lazy is ludicrous. If anything, we should fear the consequences of the current trend, where overachieving has become the new normal.

Far from setting women back, working to rule may be the turning point we have been waiting for. Breaking down stereotypical, biased ideas of how much effort is ‘enough’ is long overdue, especially with so much discrepancy in how effort is assessed. Men are often seen as more professional and capable for no reason other than gender stereotypes.

Perhaps women are just exhausted from trying to be the perfect employee, even when they do more childcare, housework, mental load bearing, and emotional labour than men.

Will quiet quitting hinder women’s efforts to be equal to men in the workforce? Or will it lead to a global shakeup of how we view ‘success’, and finally stop expecting women to do it all?

Is quiet quitting right for you?

It’s great if you genuinely enjoy working hard to achieve an ambitious professional goal. Quiet quitting is not about demonising hard work; despite its name, it doesn’t even have anything to do with giving up the grind.

Quiet quitting (or working to rule) is nothing new; it has just been rebranded to cast shame and judgement on those who reject hustle culture and don’t live solely to work.

Quiet quitting might have significant mental and physical health benefits. Without the constant stress of chasing recognition or professional accolades, your relationships, interests, and personal life may have more room to thrive.

Of course, if your workplace still ascribes to traditional ideals of what ‘hard work’ looks like and who is ‘deserving’ of promotions and pay rises, doing only what is expected of you could lead to missed opportunities.

How much time, energy, and emotional investment you want to put into your work is a personal decision. It depends on your personal and financial circumstances, and your goals and values. It’s also far easier for people of privilege to take the risk of reducing their efforts at work than for those who face barriers and discrimination.

However, until society reaches a place where work-life balance is more than just tired rhetoric, quiet quitting or working to rule might help you protect your peace, conserve your energy, and avoid burnout.

For those who don’t like the term, the plot twist is that quiet quitting is actually just doing your job. No more. No less.

The fact that this is being portrayed as a radical act that signifies the end of ambition shows how deeply toxic productivity and capitalism are ingrained into our culture and ideas about what work should be.

Call it quiet quitting, call it working to rule, or call it just doing your job. Times are changing, and it’s exciting to see what incredible social shifts will happen when our greatest minds are no longer perpetually drained from working unpaid overtime for a boss who couldn’t care less.