The online community quickly found its new cause to champion, and the next viral trend was born. Additionally, the pandemic normalized remote work, and where work life had once occasionally bled into home life, it began hemorrhaging. While the benefits of quiet quitting are more predictable, the drawbacks are less frequently mentioned, particularly with regard to future job prospects. Two more topics that have taken center stage since the pandemic are burnout and mental health, both prompted in part by employee overwork and fatigue.
But it took a worldwide pandemic to realize the ridiculousness of it all. Unfortunately, some employers have yet to realize this, and workers are now pushing back. Old posts will come back to haunt you, no matter how much you regret them and try to wipe the slate clean. What kind of message does quiet quitting send to prospective employers?
Nobody knows what the future holds. Quiet quitters may get laid off, or simply decide to change jobs as their career progresses. As mentioned earlier, quiet quitting originated from employers pushing boundaries, but not all employers are guilty. The chances are slim of any employer extending a job offer to a candidate who makes a bad first impression.
Perhaps the boundary-setting rants should be postponed until after an offer is received, a work schedule is established and a two-way conversation can be had.
But every few years, buried among the dangerous challenges and choreographed dances, a trend surfaces that actually brings attention to a worthy cause. Quietquitting has accomplished this, but time will tell if it inspires positive change.
