Quiet quitting is harmful for you. Fix it or Exit

When do you do the bare minimum at work that keeps you from getting fired? 

You do this when you are plain lazy, or disengaged. In fact, disengagement causes this more often than laziness. When you are engaged, you look forward to the exciting challenges at work, you want to take up stretch roles, and you want to give your 100%. It is such a positive and stimulating state of mind, which is beneficial for you. 

But disengagement does not benefit you. It sucks away your enthusiasm and drains your energy. Quiet quitting is a state of passive aggression. You have a large pile of resentment, anger, unhappiness corroding you from within. Work consumes a big chunk of our day, and if this is your state of mind for the larger part of the day, this negativity will also spill into other areas of your life. 

What should you do? 

No easy answers, just guidelines. 

If you find yourself sinking into quiet quitting, view it as a threat to your happiness. Make an attempt at fixing it. Fixing it does not mean pressing a button and being done with it.

Fixing it can mean changing yourself, changing your circumstances or both. It may need introspection, examining your own patterns of behaviour, changing your mindset, resetting your priorities, acceptance, difficult conversations, speaking up, conflict and difficult decisions. 

It’s hard work that needs a high degree of patience and tolerance. But, it is worth exploring for your own benefit. After attempting to fix it, you may realise that it is not fixable (like a toxic boss). Then you make a well thought out decision to exit. At least, it’s not a hasty, overnight decision which you regret later on.

The gist is that it’s not healthy to stay suspended in “quiet quitting” for too long. Quiet quitting is a lot of anguish and languish. An organization loses only productivity through quiet quitting.

But, you lose something far more precious – your joie de vivre. Act on it as fast as you can.

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