The Thing About Quiet Quitting

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In this episode...

The Thing About Quiet Quitting

https://faithfulontheclock.com/the-thing-about-quiet-quitting

Over the past few months, “quiet quitting” has become a huge trend. This bonus episode of Faithful on the Clock explains why Christian professionals shouldn’t use this strategy. It provides both employees and employers guidance on what their responsibilities are to each other.

Timestamps:

[00:04] - Intro

[00:31] - Quiet quitting definition

[00:59] - Summary of quiet quitting debate

[01:36] - Some experts assert that quiet quitting is disengagement in disguise.

[02:14] - I don’t believe quiet quitting is just disengagement. I think it connects to toxic hustle culture.

[02:55] - Summary of Office Space movie scene

[03:53] - How the movie scene exemplifies a common business problem–two sets of standards (written and social) where people are unofficially expected to go above and beyond

[04:30] - Quiet quitting is a symptom, a passive-agressive protest about being pushed to unreasonable limits within toxic systems.

[05:10] - Scriptures likely do not support passive-aggressive conflict resolution. There is scriptural support for the concept of workers speaking up.

[06:07] - Stories from the Bible, such as the story of the talents, suggest that workers should apply what they are given, rather than doing the minimum, so their employers come out ahead.

[08:42] - The relationship between workers and employers is reciprocal. Workers should be able to protest what isn’t healthy or what doesn’t work, while employers should be able to use their authority to push workers to their best.

[09:46] - Look beyond engagement to expectations. Are they appropriate?

[10:40] - Quiet quitting doesn’t help anyone involved.

[10:59] - Prayer

[11:51] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

• Quiet quitting is doing the bare minimum at a job on purpose, with or without the conscious intent of being let go.
• Quiet quitting is controversial based on whether employees should have to go above and beyond their job descriptions. 
• Experts have asserted that quiet quitting is just disengagement by a different name.
• I don’t think disengagement is the whole story behind quiet quitting. It’s likely connected to the tendency of employers to lay out one set of formal, written expectations formally but then judge on informal, social expectations. The character Joanna from Office Space is an example of how these dual expectations can create burnout and conflict.
• If quiet quitting connects to dual expectations and burnout, solving it requires addressing workloads and goals, not just purpose or connection.
• There is scriptural support for workers being able to speak out when something isn’t right. There is also scriptural support for the idea that workers should improve what they are given and not waste it. Overall, scriptures suggest a relationship of mutual respect where workers honor leaders’ authority and employers treat workers with compassion.

• Quiet quitting is just Gen Z's new name for an old work concept | Fortune

CTAs:

• To prevent or solve quiet quitting in your company, look beyond engagement. Review expectations and make sure workloads are appropriate.

What’s coming up next:

Should you always be a warrior? The fearless mindset so common in the corporate world says yes. Episode 56 of Faithful on the Clock pushes back against that mindset and explains where real fearlessness originates.

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