For many workers, 'quiet quitting' isn't an option

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

By Kami Rieck / Bloomberg Opinion

Gen Z has a new solution for workplace burnout: “quiet quitting.” The idea is simple: Forget going above and beyond your job description and pay grade. The trend, which took off on TikTok, sounds ideal. Log off at 5 p.m.? Check. Spend more time with family instead of volunteering for extra tasks? Count me in.

But the people who tend to experience the highest levels of burnout — women and people of color — probably can’t afford to “quiet quit.”

Women working in the U.S. report experiencing higher rates of on-the-job burnout compared with their male counterparts, according to a Gallup poll from 2021.

Here’s one explanation for why: From keeping track of colleagues’ birthdays to ensuring the office coffee is stocked, many women are burdened with work that doesn’t advance their careers, says Celeste Headlee, author of “Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-for-many-workers-quiet-quitting-isnt-an-option/

[XanaDUer2]

1. Amen

I'm disabled now, but I worked in burn-out, toxic place, I warned a younger woman about not letting them burn her out. To set boundaries. Skews checking email constantly off work, comes in on her days off due to short staffing, and had to see a therapist about boundaries.

[2naSalit]

2. No matter where I worked...

No matter what kind of job I had, I was always expected to put in 150% when everyone else had only put in 80%. After 52 years of working my ass of for less than I was worth... therapy is a weekly thing, has been for years.

[slightlv]

3. I'm with you...

Perfect article. I was one of those "above and beyond" who did not quit quietly in any way, shape, or form. I just wanted two days to telecommute because of my disability (lupus and fibro and a really bad back). I was already listed as card carrying disabled/handicapped. All my work was done on wi-fi, even in the office! Made no difference if my butt was in a seat in the office or at home, except at home the work got done quicker, more efficiently, and with less errors the first time around. But we had a civilian supervisor over the main department who didn't believe in telecommuting and fought it every step of the way, and I fought back just as hard. Problem is, the only one above me who'd fight for me retired and after that, there was no one who'd fight with or for me. I finally just got burned out and worn down. That "one last thing" was one last thing to many and I announced in a very loud voice "I quit" and turned around to my desk and started packing up.

The guy ran after me full of apologies, etc., at which time I said, great... I'll set the end of the month as quitting date... period. (that was one week away). They tried everything to keep me on, except giving me what I needed -- telecommuting 2 days a week. Despite how bitter I felt (and boy, did I feel bitter), I didn't feel like I could take it out on my students in the field. After all, they were our service people in Afghanistan. So, I finished the lessons they needed for the school year, and then I used every free moment I had to create an SOP for my position detailing how to do the job I had, the process for each quarter, who was responsible for getting each piece of information to you, etc, etc, etc. I stayed up all night the night before my last day, just to make sure I had it completed.

My cohort in crime there at work told me the guys never even looked at it. The girl who came in after me used it all the time, tho. Saved her butt, tho she ran into some of the same issues I ran into with the micromanager I ran into. They lost me, they lost 20+ years of institutional knowledge. That SOP I wrote had some of it in there, but not that much. No appreciation for what we women bring to the job.