You’ve probably been inundated with references to quiet quitting in your news scrolling. Many journalists like those from the Atlantic define quiet quitting as “choos[ing] to do only the bare minimum rather than go[ing] above and beyond”. Quiet quitting is about doing only what is laid out in one’s contract, and not over-extending oneself without compensation.
The workplace trend is a response to overload and burnout across a variety of sectors. The stressors and workload in the post-secondary workplace make it as likely a place as any to have employee disengagement and burnout. Staying engaged during work hours and doing your work well but not agreeing to overwork and do longer hours could be argued as setting good workplace boundaries that prevent burnout.
There has been questions about whether quiet quitting is similar to the union job action tactic work to rule which is a form of action in which employees perform their duties strictly to the letter of their contract (that is, refusing to take on any additional duties), the aim being to slow down production or otherwise disrupt the employer's business.
The difference between the two strategies is that quiet quitting is sometimes needed as a self-protective individualistic action while work to rule is part of a collective action meant to affect systemic change and bring the employer’s attention to issues in the workplace for the good of all members.
That being said, if you are interested in finding out the issues that are affecting your fellow members at work and to share your own, we would like to invite you to attend an upcoming forum listed below.
It is also important to consider quiet quitting within a discussion of equity. Many scholars and advocates are asking questions about who has had to go above and beyond in workplaces all along (women and other members of equity-seeking groups), and who have benefited by their privilege and have been able to avoid over-extending themselves. It is imperative that employers (like ours) ask crucial questions about work life balance, about honouring employees as whole people, and about how our intersectional identities are met with equity and fairness in our workplace.
You are invited to join the UFV-FSA Gender Equity group on Facebook and attend an upcoming meeting. Find us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ufvgen/
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on workplace concerns via email, at an upcoming forum, or by stopping by the UFV-FSA office in B344 on the Abbotsford campus.
In Solidarity,
Michelle Vandepol
VP Member Engagement
