What Is Quiet Quitting? Is It a Good Idea?

The so-called “quiet quitting” trend has recently taken the workforce by storm. Unlike real, actual quitting, quiet quitting refers to doing nothing more than what one’s job description states. Quiet quitters continue to fulfill their primary responsibilities but are unwilling to do extra, unpaid work. No more staying late at the office or attending unnecessary meetings.

But how and why has quiet quitting come to be so prevalent among today’s workers? What exactly changed in the months following the COVID-19 pandemic?

In this episode, Dylan gets into the nitty-gritty of quiet quitting — what it is, why it’s happening, and whether it’s a good idea.

Show Highlights

• [01:03] Recap of the episode on the social contract theory
• [03:47] How the idea of social contracts is linked to quiet quitting
• [08:40] The social contract that “baby boomers” know
• [13:32] Why the social contract that baby boomers grew up with hardly held true for millennials
• [16:23] Why the HR practice of promoting from without gave rise to job hopping
• [18:17] How the COVID pandemic changed the US job market
• [21:54] How the COVID-19 recession differs from previous recessions in US history
• [23:28] How the COVID-19 pandemic affected how Gen Z employees approached jobs
• [27:11] Why quiet quitting goes back to discussions of GDP as a poor measure of well-being
• [28:06] On whether quiet quitting is a good idea
• [28:36] Closing statements

Links and Resources

• Episode 12: Unpacking the Social Contract Theory
• Fiscally Savage
• Fiscally Savage Tools
• Fiscally Savage on Instagram
• Fiscally Savage on Facebook
• Fiscally Savage on Twitter

Books Mentioned

• Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
• The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam