Why only certain people can ‘quiet quit’

Of the many seismic shifts that happened during the pandemic, a re-evaluation of workplace culture and work-life balance has been a major topic. Amid lockdowns, a shifting economy and many people working from home, workers had to navigate their own changing workplace culture. As the world starts to slowly open back up amid the continuing pandemic, remote work persists for some and not others. Meanwhile, the so-called “Great Resignation” continued as 4.5 million people quit their jobs in March 2022, a record number, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And in 2021, more than 47 million people quit their jobs, also according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And now the phrase “quiet quitting” has entered the workplace conversation.

The PBS NewsHour’s Nicole Ellis spoke with Shaun Harper, executive director of the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center, about this phrase and what it means for people of different races, classes and work environments.

Watch the conversation in the player above.

“I think the term itself is probably mislabeled because people aren’t quitting,” Harper said about the concept. “Maybe they’re quitting the overwork, but they’re not quitting their jobs. They’re doing what was specified in the job description when they were hired.”

He said the term is about setting boundaries, like “determining that I’m not going to check email while I’m at a baby shower or a concert or I’m not going to do work at night and on weekends.”

Harper added that it is applicable most often to people in desk jobs.

“It also applies more so to white-collar workers and people who work in offices and managerial or leadership roles,” Harper said. “It does not apply to groundskeepers, food service workers, [or] custodians.”

He also argues that Black and brown workers aren’t afforded the same luxuries as their white peers.

“One thing that I hear consistently, regardless of the industry, from people of color, is that they have to work twice as hard to get half as far in terms of climbing the corporate ladder,” Harper said. “So I’ve just seen no evidence of quiet quitting among folks who are incredibly ambitious and really care about their careers and understand the racial politics that have long disadvantaged them. So why would they then suddenly start doing the bare minimum, recognizing again that the expectations for them are inequitable as it pertains to advancement?”

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As Harper considers the Great Resignation and the ever-shifting conversation about work-life balance, he thinks workers can take advantage of the current climate that is more favorable to employees. If managers or employers don’t adapt to current workplace realities, Harper said employees have a chance to go somewhere else that accommodates their needs.

“I do think that it forces employers to take more seriously the feedback that employees are giving them about what’s reasonable. Otherwise, if executives and senior leaders draw hard lines, people are going to leave,” Harper said. “They’re going to continue leaving in record numbers to go to other companies that are a lot more flexible and accommodating.”