SINGAPORE — If you haven't heard of "quiet quitting" yet, this latest hashtag trending on TikTok is the opposite of the infamous "hustle culture" associated with working at tech giants.
It has generated more debate on how people view their career and whether a term such as "quiet quitting" does more harm than good to those seeking worklife balance.
According to TikTok user "zaidleppelin", whose viral video on the topic kickstarted this conversation last month, quiet quitting is "not outright quitting your job, but ... quitting the idea of going above and beyond at work".
For some, this might mean putting a hard stop to working overtime, or checking emails and taking calls outside of working hours. For others, it might mean learning to say no to extra projects, or even simply taking a proper, restful lunch break instead of sporadic bites between assignments.
"You're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life," zaidleppelin the TikToker explains in his video.
"The reality is it's not, and your worth as a person is not defined by your labour."
Many have described quiet quitting as a way to safeguard one's mental health and prevent burnout. One commenter wrote: "I quiet quit six months ago and guess what, same pay.
Most commenters on the thread felt that for the average employee, putting in extra work is simply not worth it, especially when they see peers or colleagues who appear to work less but earn more.
Noting that quiet quitting still involves doing everything one is required to, many also felt it was a dangerous misnomer.
To term it a form of quitting, they argued, normalises going the extra mile at work and frames work-life balance as a negative.
As Reddit user "zilla_faster" wrote in a comment: "My opinion is that 'quietly quitting' is the stupidest possible name for 'continuing to do your job to a sufficient level that might not get you promoted but doesn't get you fired'. It is also called 'doing your job'.
And these Singaporean Redditors are not alone.
Over the past month, the use of the term "quiet quitting" to describe what many consider "literally just doing (one's) job" has riled up netizens across social media globally.
"Isn't that just... called working?" asks TikTok user "baobao.farm" in a video on her account last Thursday.
"Like, doing your job properly with a healthy boundary? Can we just call it what it is?
"It sounds very... disengaging? I'm still showing up to my work, I'm still putting (in) a fair amount of effort to do my job right, I'm just saying no to things that don't bring value."
More at https://www.todayonline.com/world/t...eeking-work-life-balance-say-netizens-1973431
