Quiet quitting is our problem to solve

There’s a lot of confusion around this workplace trend, but it speaks to a larger challenge.

Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash

The idea of “quiet quitting” has been grabbing everyone’s attention lately—and it seems everyone has their own idea of what quiet quitting even means. A lot of people have responded to the idea by saying, “I’m not quiet quitting, I’m just doing the job I need to do.” Others have suggested that quiet quitters—those who consciously do only the work that is required of them, in the time required, and nothing more—are letting their career aspirations fall to the wayside.

Here’s another perspective to consider: maybe it’s not about giving up on ambition, but simply redirecting it? Maybe it’s about prioritizing life outside of work? That shouldn’t be an unreasonable ambition to have.

The fact that quiet quitting has struck such a nerve with so many people is yet more proof that work isn’t working—for any of us. A recent study I co-authored found that when it comes to well-being, the C-suite is struggling as much as the rest of the workforce. In fact, the study revealed that nearly 70% of C-suite level executives are seriously considering quitting for a job that better supports their well-being. (And that’s real quitting, not just quiet quitting.)

To me, quiet quitting is less about a lack of individual ambition and more about the collective well-being challenges that we all face in the workplace. And coining new media-friendly phrases doesn’t really help us resolve the issue. If we want to really address these challenges, leaders and employees need to come together to solve this problem.

Work shouldn’t be all-consuming—as Derek Thompson points out in his recent Work in Progress newsletter, work is just one-eighth of your life. But it should be one of the inputs to our well-being. It's good for our well-being to accomplish things at work, to have strong work relationships, to make money and feel financially stable in our life. So how do we get to a place where we look at work as a positive enhancer to our well-being? And if it's detracting from our well-being, how do we change that?

We can come together to solve this problem—to create new corporate structures and workplace norms that allow for ambition and hard work without working all night or sacrificing personal time.

Work won’t always be unicorns and rainbows. There’s a reason it’s called work. I am the Chief Well-being Officer of a company I believe in, a role many people tell me must be the best job in the world. And it is. But it’s still a job. For each of us, there will be days and weeks and projects that will be less than ideal. But there’s a difference between work not being wonderful, and work being so toxic that it’s impacting your well-being.

The work itself doesn’t necessarily have to be meaningful; the financial stability to prioritize outside interests is what makes work meaningful. Let’s put work in the right place in our life and use our non-work time to do the things that light us up.

📚 What I’m reading: Between the spot-on illustrations and the helpful insights, Big Feelings: How to Be Ok When Things Are Not Ok, by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, is a must-read handbook for modern life and all the difficult emotions that come with it!

📱 Who I’m following: I look forward to days when an inspiring post from Jacqueline Novogratz, author of Manifesto for a Moral Revolution, pops up in my LinkedIn feed. She’s doing amazing things to make our world a better place for all!

🏃‍♀️ What I’m doing: No matter where I am, these fitness cards from my trainer Juan Lugo let me get in a workout that makes me feel better, instantly. Follow him on Insta @jlfitnessmiami for even more workout tips!

🎉 What I’m celebrating: One of my favorite wellness apps, Shine—founded by Marah Lidey and Naomi Hirabayashi with an emphasis on representation and inclusion in the mental health space—has joined forces with Headspace Health. I had the great pleasure of speaking with Marah and Naomi on a WorkWell podcast episode and I’ve been truly inspired by their work and their journey! I can’t wait to see this powerhouse brand do great things for inclusive mental health.