“Silent layoffs”: employees limit their jobs and create problems in US offices

They defend 40 working hours a week, reject emails and calling after hours and more likely to say no: some Americans are adopting the concept of “quiet resignation” to combat the often suffocating imperative of constant communication.

Maggie Perkinsresiding in Athens, in the state Georgia, worked as a teacher 60 hours a week. But when her first child was born, this 30-year-old woman realized that her situation was hopeless.

“There are photos of me correcting exams on the plane when we flew on vacation. professional life and my personal life,” he explained in a video on tik takin which he recounts how he decided to join the “quiet exit” movement.

Perkins told AFP that he eventually quit his job to get his PhD but continues to make videos giving advice on how to get organized at work.

“Accept this mindset”resignation quiet“It just means you set a limit that helps you do your job when you get paid to do it, and then you can give it up and go home and be a person with your family,” he said.

Origin

Expression “quiet care”, now viral seems to have appeared in July in a publication tik tak.

“You don’t completely give up on your job, but you do give up on the idea of ​​always giving a little more. You still carry out your duties, but you no longer have a culture where work should be your life,” he explained on this platform user @zaidleppelin.

His post got almost half a million likes. A general sense of resentment surfaced in the responses. Since then, many author’s articles have appeared explaining this phenomenon.

And a discussion broke out. The supporters of thissilent obediencetrying to defend work-life balance, a concept more associated with the European way of life than the American one? Are they “lazy” who resort to the buzzword? Or are they people on the verge of exhaustion, that it is better for them to give up altogether, quickly?

The evidence suggests that the need for more balance is real.

Stress at work increased from 38% of respondents in 2019 to 43% next year when COVID-19 pandemic According to Gallup polls, the way work is done around the world has changed.

This dynamic has caused the “Great Layoff” as there has been a recent surge in the number of employees quitting or changing employers.

“Blood, Sweat and Tears”

Supporters of the new trendsilent obedience“They say they are ready to work hard, but not beyond working hours.

Observers note that there have always been employees who refused to work for another minute or claimed that certain tasks were not part of their duties.

Arianna Huffington, Information Website Founder huffington Post denounced the phenomenon, believing that work “is part of a fulfilling life” and that the rejection of exhaustion should not preclude “the possibility of finding joy” in what one does for a living.

But for former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, “workers are notsilently surrender’. They refuse to be exploited.”

This is the case of “Bess”, who prefers not to give her real name.

Shortly before the pandemic, she was hired for a job that involved regular travel to Germany. But, she told AFP, the pandemic has forced her to lock herself in her New York apartment with calls at 3 a.m. due to the time difference with Europe.

It made her try less, but many around her didn’t realize it.

“There is such a stigma: you put blood, sweat and tears into your work. USAif not do you workYou don’t deserve to be here,” he concluded.

“After six months of torment,” Bess simply stopped responding to emails within a few weeks. As a result, he retired.

Philip Oreopoulos, economist University of Torontosaid there is a solution better communication clarify the employer’s expectations before a potential candidate accepts a job.

“If you need to be on duty at home, then this should be clearly indicated,” he said, recalling that in USAthe affected workers have an asset to fall back on: a historically low unemployment rate of 3.5%.

AFP