Quiet quitting is a choice I don’t understand

Quiet quitting is a choice I don’t understand

Most of us are privileged enough to be able to choose how to conduct ourselves and come out to the other end still standing on both feet independently of the choices we made.

Most of us are privileged enough to live in countries where you get paid if you injure yourself surfing at the weekend or hangover from a wild night.

Most of us are privileged enough to get to choose amongst two or three job offers – should I pick the one closer to home or the one that pays more to do less?

Most of us feels entitled to free coffee, free snacks, team lunches, working from home, ducking out earlier on a Friday – to me these are privileges and somehow, we all forget about these so easily but even more easily remember that one time our leave application got declined (how dare?).

There are many others of us who have no choice but to work with a smile on their face, even if they don’t like their job, even if it takes them hours to get to work, even if their boss doesn’t even know who they are and where they are from (no birthday off…go figure!), even if they are underpaid and overworked. Yes, all wrong. But I have a feeling they have bigger worries than TikTok Quiet Quitting trends. Worries that I feel would have justified some sort of trend for sure!

Now, I admit that I forget reality quite often as well because the privileged society I am part of speaks about “know your worth”, “work-life balance”, “work smart”, “work hybrid”, “take breaks, go for walks”, “health first”, “family first” and so forth. Yes, all true but are we ever grateful for being so privileged?

Ultimately, quiet quitting is a choice I don’t understand hence, don’t support. But again, I am so privileged I wake up every morning genuinely happy to go to work. And I am so privileged that the day I will not be happy, I’ll just quit altogether and throw a party.

Anyone who is in the privileged position to make a choice (and it’s not all of us!) is responsible for that choice and its consequences; the boss who undervalues their team as much as the worker who stops to care (or never actually did). However you look at it, if you don’t enjoy what you are doing (no matter if it’s work or not) it’s not going to end up well for you – independently how many breaks you take in between. However you look at it, if you consistently do less than what your potential allows you to, then only person you are going to do a disservice is yourself.

I just wish everyone was able to give without expecting anything in return.

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