You've probably heard the new term "quiet quitting". It's bullsh*t.

Listen to this story being read by Charlotte Begg, here.

You've might've heard of the new term "quiet quitting".

In another attempt to highlight just how much employees desire work-life balance, quiet quitting has quickly gained momentum on social media, particularly among Gen Z.

Despite what the name suggests, quiet quitting has nothing to do with leaving your job and not telling anyone.

It actually refers to the rejection of hustle culture, and simply doing what is required of you in your professional role.

Not staying after hours. Not answering phone calls on weekends. Not doing what isn't in your position description. 

Just... yeah, doing your job.

TikTok creator Zaid Khan (@zkchillin) posted a video about his own discovery of the term in late July. The clip has since amassed over three million views.

"You're not outright quitting your job, but you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond," Khan explained in the video.

"You're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life. 

"The reality is it's not, and your worth as a person is not defined by your labour."

@zkchillin On quiet quitting #workreform ♬ original sound - ruby

Over the past two years, with the ebbs and flows of COVID affecting how we work and live, you've probably noticed the rise of buzzwords like "languishing", "The Great Resignation" and "burnout", each pointing to a broader need for more balance.

With the end of the #GirlBoss era and the rise of anti-hustle culture, employees are reassessing their approach to work and whether going the extra mile will benefit them, or just leave them exhausted and wanting to leave their jobs.

It's no coincidence these terms, and the whole work reform movement, have come about during the pandemic.

With most of us forced to stay home, people have had little to no divide between work and personal life, and many employees - the majority being Gen Z - are now unsubscribing from this way of living.

According to Deloitte Global’s "2022 Gen Z and Millennial" survey, 46 per cent of Gen Zs and 45 per cent of millennials feel burned out due to the intensity and demands of their working environments.

And 44 per cent of Gen Zs and 43 per cent of millennials say many people have recently left their organisation due to workload pressure. 

Read more: "I needed a circuit breaker in my life." 10 women on why they joined the 'Great Resignation'.

But there's a hard truth that those praising quiet quitting haven't realised: the phenomenon isn't new or revolutionary. 

In fact, it's just a rebranding of what many employees have been doing all along, as Mamamia's Jessie Stephens pointed out.

"This quiet quitting thing is the most capitalist bullsh*t I have ever heard," the author and co-host of Mamamia Out Loud said on Monday's episode.

"How have we rebranded going to work, doing your job, not doing jobs that aren't your job, not answering a call on the weekend, as quitting? 

"That's not quitting, that's doing your job," she added.

PLOT TWIST: “quiet quitting” means “doing your job within the confines of work hours” pic.twitter.com/tCmRAfs4rZ

— Mia “longtime Milwaukee Bucks fan” Lastname (@themiasandrist) August 2, 2022

DOING YOUR JOB AS SPECIFIED IN YOUR CONTRACT IS NOT "QUIET QUITTING". https://t.co/6dfmRcMzKz

— Pablo's Vault of Horror (@PabloBonzo) August 11, 2022

What's more interesting about 'quiet quitting', the fact that people are doing it, or the fact that a formerly normal thing now has that name?

— GeeorgeStyles (@GeeorgeStyles) August 9, 2022

Jessie further explained that in recent years, going above and beyond has become so expected of employees that the 'above and beyond' has only gotten more and more ridiculous, with people working overtime and on weekends, leaving little time for friends or family.

"We have to be clear about expectations," she said.

"If you have a business which relies on employees working overtime and sacrificing their lives in order to do their job, then your business is built on quicksand.

"You'll have people who burn out and quit."

Don't get me wrong - being a Gen Z writer myself, I love a new term I can cling on to.

I like the sound of rejecting corporate culture. But this isn't new.

If you want to hustle, hustle. And if you just want to make some coin to afford rent, food and your lifestyle, then go ahead and lean out.

But can we stop creating these terms for the sake of content and gratification? Because that in itself is exhausting to keep up with.

Feature image: Canva/Mamamia.

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