In 2022 everyone was talking about “quiet quitting” which was the latest work-related phenomenon that described the moment when workers avoided doing the above and beyond. Rather, workers were just doing enough work to keep on top, then closing their laptop and muting Slack to later post about their day on social media platforms such as TikTok.
Yet, “quiet quitting” is so last year. Now, it’s all about “loud quitting”. In this most recent phenomenon, contrary to its name, you don’t shout out about how you’re leaving your job. Rather, you loud quit because you want to keep your job.
Described as a negotiation tactic, you express your unhappiness in your current work situation by telling your employer that you’re actively looking for another job. They will then (hopefully) respond by fretting and offering you whatever you want to stay.
Now, with both “quiet quitting” and “loud quitting” there is the risk that you may lose your job– either from not pulling your weight if you slack too much, or by being too forward if your employer can’t actually afford to give you a raise.
Although the risk can be worth it if you are really unhappy, before you jump the gun, you should assess your working life and whether you have a work-life balance. This is because if you feel a lack of motivation towards your job, this may have accumulated through burnout and changes to your work life, such as a shift to remote working.
It is essential that workers find a work-life balance to ensure that they are not burning out and getting fed up with their work, so they can save their “loud” or “quiet” quitting for when they really reach the end of their tether.
At Myles Wellbeing, we’ve come up with three easy ways to achieve a work-life balance, which will ensure that you’re not burning the midnight oil for your work and consequently burning out, resulting in “quiet” or “loud” quitting.
1. Set boundaries (and stick to them!)
Setting boundaries can include designating time for work and time for your personal life. For example, when you’re not working, make sure to turn off your work emails and disable any work-related notifications, allowing your brain to completely switch off.
It’s also helpful to be conscious of the impact you have on other people’s work-life balance. For example, try to avoid sending emails to colleagues outside of typical working hours– there’s some great features in most email applications which allow you to schedule emails.
It’s great to create boundaries, but it is also essential to stick to them. Test out sticking to working normal work hours, particularly if you’re working from home, rather than logging on your laptop at 7pm to only stop reading emails at 9pm.
2. Physically separate your work and home life
It can be hard to separate your work and home life, but a physical separation from where you relax and where you work helps. This can be particularly hard when you’re working from home as now your office space becomes your kitchen table or bedroom desk, however, if you can avoid working in spaces in your house that you particularly relax in, you will find it easier to separate your work and home life.
3. Find something you enjoy that isn’t work related
Develop a new skill that you won’t need at work or even get out and socialise with your friends if that’s what you enjoy.
By getting out, whether that be in the form of socialising with mates, or physical activity such as a walk, you will be giving your brain a much needed rest from all your previous work. A change in scenery will also help you stick to the boundaries we mentioned before, as in that new space you won’t be checking your work emails or Slack notifications.
At Myles Wellbeing, you can have the best of both worlds by connecting to work colleagues whilst you’re doing physical activity. You can compete with and encourage fellow employees when they exercise by using our new app. With a leaderboard, you can find the top three athletes in your workplace whilst ensuring you also reward the most improved employees, not just the fittest.
Such colleague bonding, particularly outside of the office space, will help find a balance between work and life, as you’re still connected to your fellow employees, but in a way that is completely unrelated to work.
Try out any of our three easy ways to improve your work life balance and see what a difference it can make to your working attitude!