Poor pay, tremendous workload, a better job offer, plain burnout, and lack of opportunities for career growth are nothing new. While employees in different areas are no strangers to any of these, many of them have recently found a way to rebel.

Quiet quitting! This term refers to workers who deliberately choose to do tasks strictly within their job description to avoid working long hours. Not more, not less. Quiet quitting is said to help an employee deal with burnout, alleviate long-term stress, or give them space while looking for another job.

Since there are still many mixed opinions about quiet quitting, it’s best to listen to what people who have been in those situations or have practiced quiet quitting have to say. “What are your thoughts on ‘Quiet quitting’ / ‘Acting your Wage’?” someone asked on Ask Reddit.

Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting stories and honest replies, so scroll down to find what they have to say!

#1

The phrase “you get what you pay for” applies to employers too. They shouldn’t expect to get premium production at a discount

Image credits: useyourownnamebitch

#2

I was in the Army when a Colonel told me to act my pay grade. Stop doing extra and do what my rank was assigned without the bows and ribbons. Take my lunch, quit working through it. I was worried about things that could wait until the next day.

Work your wage, yo.

Image credits: Potential_Sherbet294

#3

If you pay me $10 you’ll get a $10 employee

Image credits: CinnyButta

#4

It’s funny to me how people think this is a new thing.

The term for it is new, but people everywhere have always been doing it.

Image credits: GrandMil

#5

Quiet quitting sounds like come corporate b******t to make workers feel ashamed of not giving life and limb for a damn company.

Acting your wage is something a lotta people could use. Don’t get me wrong if you work in a cutthroat industry where you need to put out 110% to chase the bag, go for it but when you’re working at mcd’s for minimum wage you’re better off saving your energy for some courses or even a trade school. As long as your workshare is done, you’re not lazy for not doing more than you’re paid for.

Image credits: rb26enjoyer

#6

Has anyone here ever worked somewhere, had a supervisor quit, then had to do the supervisor’s job, but while being told they can’t actually make you officially the supervisor yet, just so they don’t have to give you a pay rise? I’ve known several people who have had this happen to them, and they get strung along with the promise that *eventually* they will have the title and pay rise. No one should fall for it.

Image credits: Stevotonin

#7

Pay peanuts, get monkeys

Image credits: SteliosCnutos

#8

As someone who used to bust my a*s and bend over backwards I stopped. Because I was laid off permanently while all the new guys got to keep their jobs because they were “cheaper” and all the promotions I’ve worked my a*s off for were all given to outside hires with no experience. So now I look at as “why bother trying?” There’s literally no incentive to try. Raises aren’t different for people who work harder anymore. It’s all based on how long your with the company.

Image credits: Apex_Gypsy

#9

Quiet quitting was coined by corporate to make it sound bad and put employees who do it in a bad light.

Simply put, it means doing exactly what you agreed to and what you are paid for.

This is not quitting by any dictionary I am familiar with. This is plain and simple doing your job.

Corporate ‘culture’ has it you have to work more than you agreed to, more than your contracted hours, more than you are paid for, to impress the employer, to “show you care” and other b******t like that. People are gradually waking up to the realisation that this is all unacceptable.

If we flip this on its head, why doesn’t the company pay me more than we agreed? Or why doesn’t it cut an hour or two off my day’s shift? I’m sure any corporate linguist could find a variety of reasons to respond to that, and those are the exact reasons why the employee should not work past their hours and pay.

So no. ‘Quiet quitting’ doesn’t exist, purely because it has nothing to do with quitting.

Image credits: legrenabeach

#10

I’ve been doing this for years lol. Just common sense to me. I do what I get paid to do. I do my hours, no more no less. If I have to work overtime I’m claiming every single millisecond of it. It’s a job. Not my life

Had a situation once where someone called in sick and no one could come in to replace them. Which is not the end of the world. Had to stay 30 minutes passed my scheduled time to ensure everything was done, so I put that on my timesheet. When I came in the next day I saw someone scratched out my 30 minutes extra and put in my normal finish time. Obviously that pissed me off so I went to the boss and asked what the f**k was this. They said they don’t pay overtime and other s**t.

So I said well here’s what’s gonna happen. Either you pay me for the extra time or I’ll go straight to the department of labour and file a complaint. Don’t think they expected a 20 year old (at the time) to stick up for themselves.

Image credits: publicworker69

#11

I resent the term “quiet quitting”, as a person who is protective of their time outside office hours. This doesn’t make me a bad employee, it makes me a better one. I’m very good at my job, and am able to do it better than some in fewer hours, and I don’t suffer from burn out because I make sure I get time to switch off. Measure my performance on the work I do, not the time I’m available.

This term really is corporations responding to the mass realisation that they can’t bully and trick 1 person into doing 2 people’s jobs any more.

Image credits: AlterEdward

#12

This whole concept is completely absurd to me. I do realize that in the US you are probably expected to work harder than what you’re contractually required to do but for instance here in the Nordic countries most people have always “acted their wage.” We don’t live to work, we do our job and go home to live our lives.

Image credits: ourstobuild

#13

B******t corporate term for just doing your job.

Image credits: darkuen

#14

To anyone running companies and to everyone in the upperclass thinking this is a problem:

F**k you, pay me my worth.

#15

It is a good response to decades of companies neglecting and disrespecting their employees. They are now taking something back for themselves.

On the other hand, I dont like this beeing a social media movement. It gives the wrong idea and it enables the people to be assholes even when they are being fairly compensated. Sometimes its not your pay thats the problem, its the job itself. If you are not happy quit. If you cant afford to quit then stick it up. Complaining without actions will only make you more miserable.

Also, this might get a bit of hate but, there are people who actually build themselves, always did extra classes, went to university, researched the market, improved their negotiation skills and there are people who did the bare minimum their entire life. Sorry but you cant expect to be treated the same. Everybody should be treated with respect, absolutely, but they cant be compensated the same way.

#16

Not everybody wants to move up and run the place. Some of us just want to put in their 40 hours and go home, and as long as I can pay my bills I don’t need a promotion. So i’m not putting in extra hours and doing extra tasks that aren’t in my job description. The favor some people are trying to gain from employers is for future promotions or perks. I have no interest in those perks. I can turn down that stuff because I don’t work for free. Clock in at 9 clock out at 4:59 having completed all my assigned work whistling as I skip out the door. If they’re going to pay me the bare minimum that they can get away with, this is the effort they get.

#17

Worker productivity has been increasing while wages have remained stagnant. Good to see something addressing the problem.

Image credits: nlray8s1

#18

We should also include in the conversation “quiet firing” which is where they keep adding more and more tasks with no pay raise.

Image credits: TheGrumpyre

#19

I think the pandemic really reset people’s priorities. A lot of people were working from home or unemployed, and spent time with their families, or relaxing, or on self improvement. After a couple years of that, we all realized that maybe working those extra hours every day isn’t that important. Their jobs kept going on, even though they were putting less effort into them.

I’ve noticed a big change at my office. If I stay until 5:30, there’s only a couple cars left in the parking lot. It used to be busy there until 6 or 7 most days! And the place is pretty empty on Fridays, everyone is “working from home”.

People seem to value their personal time a lot more, and I think it’s a good thing. Work to live, don’t live to work!

Image credits: Veritas3333

#20

I support it. If you’re under paid then you shouldn’t overwork yourself for someone that won’t give you a good wage.

Image credits: Salmonforest

#21

Just today I decided to do this. I get here 2 hours early to make sure everything is straight so that I can give my boss any updates needed from the night crew. I am supposed to have a 30 min unpaid lunch, I usually work through this. I will also stay later than anyone else just to cover for my bosses so they can go home at their normal time. I am hourly and get overtime so it worked out. I am supposed to only create the training material and make sure everyone is highly trained. This is a industrial environment so we take it seriously. It also causes me to have to come in on my days off sometimes to meet with trainees. I also deal with contractors which is something that no other person in my role has to do. This causes me to some days work from 5 am to 10 pm (I did this Monday and Tuesday this week already) as I am not allowed to work over 16 hours a day. I have never complained as the money was good.

Today my department is told all overtime has to be approved daily. I asked if this included me and it does. Because certain individuals have been caught not working while they are on overtime, the entire department has been punished. I asked if I could go ahead and get my stuff approved as I get up and leave my house around 4:30am and I don’t want to have to call him that early. I was told he sees no benefit of me coming in that early or staying that late.

So I will only work my 8 hours, and I am cutting my phone off during my lunch break. I will not cover for them again nor will I work late to help get us back running. I have turned over the contractor paperwork and will no longer be handling it. Seeing as all that I do is not beneficial, it should not cause us any disruptions.

Image credits: silentsnak3

#22

We gotta stop using this term some bootlicker in HR came up with for DOING YOUR DAMN JOB. Regardless of anyone’s political leanings, I’m sure we can all agree that if you want more, you pay for more.

Image credits: Caravanshaker

#23

Why should an employer get more than they pay for?

Image credits: TalosBeWithYou

#24

I don’t get the sudden fascination with this “quiet quitting” term as if it’s a new concept. People have been “coasting” at work for ever. Twenty years ago a colleague told me that I don’t need to be the fastest antelope, just don’t be the slowest.

When you work with folks long enough you know who is capable of more and who isn’t. It’s the companies responsibility for having management that can monitor and identify that. If they don’t do that and everyone is trudging around bare minimum, that’s on the company.

#25

my daddy always said to give work your very best effort when you are on the clock, but then when you clock out that’s it. When I am at work I do the best work I can possibly do. Always figured if you do your best, you got the best chance to be successful (get a raise, promotion, gain skills to get another job, etc.). No employer is going to say hmmm that guy is half assing it, maybe we should give him a raise.

#26

We *are* “acting our wage,”

It just so happens that wage in the teens buys the effort of a teen.

#27

Do it if you want. But you’re not going to advance in your career as quickly. It might also not help your reputation. That in turn can make it harder to find a better job.

But that’s okay in and of itself so long as you are willing to bear the consequences. You are only obligated to work your wage’s worth. Then again, your “wage’s worth” is not easy to quantify. What’s to stop your employer from taking extra pains to thoroughly break down your time and ensure you’re full of tasks? I don’t know how you can “quiet quit” at Amazon for instance.

#28

“Quiet quitting” is a propaganda phrase used by managers and CEOs to try to shame employees who “act their wage”.

#29

Your employer should pay a fair wage to you for the work they want done. That being said, when you apply for and interview for a job, part of that discussion is you and your employer agreeing to a fair wage for what the position offers.

If your job duties don’t end up expanding beyond what you’re hired for, I don’t understand how you can make the argument that you aren’t being paid fairly. You entered an agreement and are being expected to hold up your end.

On the flip side, if you are hired for a position, and then constantly expected to do more than what was agreed upon, then I understand declining additional work and just doing the bare minimum because the agreement you signed into has been breached.

However, doing a bare minimum and “quiet quitting” is realistically a shitty solution because you only garuntee that you will never get a noticeable increase in compensation, thus never solving your issue, so why not either quit and find a better employer, or just ask your employer directly for additional compensation on account of the additional responsibilities.

#30

I just decided to do this yesterday and I am so much more relaxed.

Work has gone crazy for me recently. I have developed the habit over my career of working my butt off to accomplish as much as humanly possible. It took 3-4 people to replace me at my last job.

The workload here has skyrocketed. My personal life is miserable and I’m just so stressed over everything.

I made the conscious decision to just do what I can to get my work done, and be ok with it if not everything gets done. I’m the only one setting this unrealistic standard for myself. I don’t have to kill myself to do it….and I’m starting to relax and feel just a bit better.

Edit: I grew up and entered the working world under the understanding that if worked hard I would be rewarded. And looking back on everything, that has never actually happened. The only thing that did happen was I was taken advantage of. I had people in my early employment years try to convince me to do their work for them on the side. I was denied raises and underpaid. At my last job I was 100% convinced I was being underpaid. I gave them advanced notice I had received an offer I was taking seriously. I handed in my two weeks notice and they stonewalled me up until the last day. Then the VP pulled me into his office, told me they couldn’t lose me and offered me a massive raise.

I asked about the problems with the company that lead me to quit that I knew they knew about and asked them why they hadn’t fixed any of it yet. Didn’t get a good answer. So I told them no and left.

Proudest day of my career so far. I’d always been so nervous about authority but just knowing they needed me and I didn’t need them gave me such a confidence boost it was amazing.

#31

You mean doing the correct amount of work you’re being paid for? Sounds like not-slavery

#32

Quiet Quitting – Shitty made up term by companies to guilt their workers into doing a bunch of free s**t they are not being paid for.

Acting your Wage – I get the idea behind it, but im not sure it needs a term. ffs just do what you are being paid for and keep it at that.

#33

If you’re being underpaid, job is s**t, no room to progress through the company’s ranks then I support it. If you’re working for a company with a good salary and excellent opportunities at exceling through the ranks and promotions are at stake. I’d say put your all in it.

#34

I work in software so salary is the main cost to my employer. They obviously want to pay me as little as possible for as much output as possible which they can then resell for profit.

If I bust my balls to get features out as quickly as I possibly can then there is simply more work after that. If I am lucky I will get a “well done” in a company meeting and if I really fight my case I might get a raise. The only way to get market rates is to get another job offer and then threaten to leave.

The sales team get a bonus when they close a deal but the devs get f**k all when they deliver a massive client project. There is no incentive to deliver more than the minimal expectation so why should I give away my time and skill for free?

#35

Do what you want , don’t be a jerk to your co-workers though

#36

I agree with those because I did it at my last job when I saw that no matter how much I worked, I was always disrespected, called lazy, used to the maximum and underpaid. Then I decided to be lazy and do thr apsolute minimum. When the boss started to threathen to fire me, I just never showed up again. Nowadays I have a good paying job where I am respected.

#37

Minimum wage = minimum effort. 99% of companies can afford to pay good wages, they’re just greedy.

#38

If your going to carry out a job and do the bare minimum required of you don’t be surprised if your stuck in that job for a very long time.

#39

So i started at my current job and said : “i want to learn the job but i want to grow in the company.”
I was there for 3 years when Covid started. I went to work everyday during covid because they needed someone on location.
I had a lot of extra work but i thought “i’ll show that i’m reliable and motivated”.
At the end of the covid periode i starte dlooking arounf and got a few interviews for jobs that paid 20% more than what i have.
I made an appointment with my manager and HR and explained that i wasn’t happy with the situation and surveyed the market and came up with the fact that i wasn’t paid enough AND wanted to grow.
My manager answered “you’re not the only one that works well” and the HR said “compared to the intern scale you’re already well paid…”
I also applied for a better job intern but was denied because i didn’t have enough experience…
So i said f**k it… i’ll do the bare minimum while looking for something else. I consider it quiet quitting.

#40

Look at wage increases vs. executive compensation.

You have two options.

1. Work hard, go above and beyond, and sacrifice your personal time and sanity, and in the end, you might get a 1-year subscription to the jelly-of-the-month club.
2. Do exactly what you’re paid to do and not one minute more.

One of the few positives that came out of COVID is that it broke a number of people of the corporate propaganda of “work hard and be rewarded”. People got to take a hard look at what they were doing, especially after said companies booted them to the curb faster than Taco Bell through the colon of someone with IBS.

Now, with wages not even covering the costs of living people are wondering why the hell should they even bother. The answer, of course, is that they shouldn’t. Work hard, and the company makes more money. Are you getting a cut of that? Of course not. The company’s responsibility is to the shareholders, not you.

In the long long ago you USED to get rewarded for hard work. You USED to get recognized for going above and beyond. Now it is just EXPECTED. Now they expect to call you after work hours. They expect you to come in on weekends. They expect you to cancel your vacations, never be out sick, and so on and so forth.

So unless you work for one of the few nice companies that still recognize and incentivize hard work, don’t bother with doing anything beyond what you are contractually obligated to do. All you’re doing is wrecking your own personal well-being in the name of furthering corporate profits that you will never see.

#41

I’m not too sure what the difference is here and I may be slightly confused on the whole idea, but what I gather from my limited knowledge on it however is that if you want more money, that’s not how you get it. That’s how you stay exactly where you are.

If you’re not happy, quit. If you feel you can’t move up, find a job where you can and put the effort into that. If you’re absolutely stuck in a dead end job that doesn’t give a c**p about you, then yeah do the bare minimum and get paid.

A lot of the time whatever work you don’t do someone else will have to do, they may be getting paid the same or less than you while doing twice the work, so in some instances it’s a shitty thing to do if you care about people other than yourself… and it surely won’t look good when you either can’t give any references for future employment given you’ve burned every bridge you’ve come across, or you will give references and they’ll have nothing good to say about you. Kind of a lose lose situation from what I can see.

#42

Why should you ever do more than you are hired or paid for? The bosses sure wouldn’t.

#43

I work my a*s off every shift. It’s just the way i am. Sometimes, I volunteer extra time (within reason) I want my team to do well. I was rewarded with promotions. I preach work/life balance to my team. I give them extra time off as a token of appreciation when it’s quieter. But when it’s crunch time, they know everyone is go-go-go.

#44

It’s literally doing exactly what you are hired for and paid to do. The idea that this is in anyways “controversial” is deeply disturbing

#45

No company has ever gone above and beyond trying to benefit me. They do the bare minimum, I do the bare minimum.

#46

I think that there has always been some level of this and this is not an entirely new phenomenon.

But also the work is different now. It used to be you graduate high school, start as a janitor some where, and after 50 years retire as the regional manager of the same company and they give you a watch. And the paycheck from that one job supported you, your wife, 2 kids and a dog in a nice house in the suburbs. Basically, you could see the path where hard work was rewarded.

But now, the fastest way to increase your earnings is to quit and go somewhere else. So I just need to hang out somewhere for 2-3 years and then leave for a 10-20% raise. Rinse and repeat. Why would I try hard knowing that my only way of moving up is to leave?

#47

Quiet quitting is a corporate term for “we want people to do more work for free, even though we are already not paying them enough to live a stable life”

if i offer to mow someones yard for 5$ and they call me complaing that i didnt edge it, when that wasnt a part of the agreement, i would not go back. its very simple lol

business owners want to increase their profits at the cost of overworking their underpaid employees and then turn around and label it “quiet quitting” is the most american s**t i can think of.

indentured servants were given food and housing for the most part. if all people can afford is food and housing(if even that). how is a job any different than indentured servitude. you sign a contract stating you will work doing X things with a promise of being there X amount of days for an extended period of your life and they give you just enough to survive and be able to continue working.

f*****g done with the media, corporate america, and shiesty a*s business owners who run under the guise of “were a family here” while underpaying you and replacing you the first time you call out sick cause you cant afford healthcare or a healthy lifestyle with the money they offer to pay.

#48

I stopped going the extra mile at work because I learned it got me know where. I’m busting my a*s doing double the work but still get paid the same as the guy who took nine smoke breaks before lunch? I’m not even thirty yet and I’m already over everything. Now I show up do the bare minimum and stay away from workplace drama. And ya know what? I’ve never been happier. I’m not stressed from being overworked. Not ranting about so and so not doing s**t all day. Now just dont give a f**k anymore. Give me my pittance of a paycheck and f**k off.

#49

I have no problem with it. Just understand that there are people who will out work you for the same wage, and when it comes time to ask to move up, don’t be surprised when they get it and you don’t. I’ve noticed that the people who tend to do the bare minimum tend to be the people who stagnate in life. This isn’t just true of work, either. You get out what you put in.

#50

People who work hard and efficiently are punished with more work than they are paid for. No thanks. I signed up for specifically what I wanted

Image credits: PossiblyWithout

from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/iQo3NTr
via IFTTT source site : boredpanda