Why Silent Slavery is the Counterpoint to Quietly Quitting
Quiet quitting is the HR buzzword of the moment. After more than a year of the "great resignation," the truth is a bit deeper, and the alternative may be even worse.
In August 2022, I did a poll on my LinkedIn (Figure 1 below) to see how HR and compensation professionals define the term "quiet quitting." The results were unsurprisingly mixed. The term is artful and is seemingly meant to communicate that people are dissatisfied with their work and are therefore doing something wrong.
Let's look at the poll numbers:
Quiet quitting is the HR buzzword of the moment. After more than a year of the "great resignation," the truth is a bit deeper, and the alternative may be even worse.
In August 2022, I did a poll on my LinkedIn (Figure 1 below) to see how HR and compensation professionals define the term "quiet quitting." The results were unsurprisingly mixed. The term is artful and is seemingly meant to communicate that people are dissatisfied with their work and are therefore doing something wrong.
Let's look at the poll numbers:
Companies spend a lot of time recruiting people to work for their companies. Most job postings include moderately detailed descriptions of a position's requirements and responsibilities. Some companies take this further and create very detailed job descriptions for each position. The job posting and description clearly define what a person must do to perform their job. Should we expect more from people? This question is even more critical when considering that the job details define the level of pay the employee receives. More is required if someone wants to earn a bonus or receive payment on a short-term incentive plan. More is a requirement when an individual has negotiated a higher than market salary or equity compensation as a pre-payment for their better-than-normal work. The typical pay level is designed to compensate a qualified individual doing the job as described. You know, DOING YOUR JOB!
If quiet quitting means "doing ONLY what a job requires," what is the opposite term?
I'd like to suggest "silent slavery." It indicates that someone should do more work with no additional pay. It communicates that people should do what they are told, regardless of their job description. It just doesn't seem very friendly.
Perhaps instead of trying to shame people for doing their job at a satisfactory level, we should give them a reason to perform better. Design incentive plans that are communicated in a way that people understand. Train managers to manage and motivate performance every day instead of once a year. Recognize strong performers in ways that clarify what high performance means to others. Write job descriptions that indicate what is required and what is considered over performance. Basically, do the things you know you should be doing and watch your people magically improve.
Quiet quitting is not only a silly term but also a silly concept. No one should be expected to do more than the framework of their defined job. If someone does more, they should be praised, lauded, and rewarded. Enough said.
Now stop reading and get back to work!
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