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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 19, 2022 12:43:40 GMT
I thought this article from the Wall Street Journal was worth talking about: Quiet QuittingIf Your Co-Workers Are 'Quiet Quitting' Here's What That Means Some Gen Z professionals are saying no to hustle culture; "I'm not going to go extra" Not taking your job too seriously has a new name: quiet quitting. The phrase is generating millions of views on TikTok as some young professionals reject the idea of going above and beyond in their careers, labeling their lesser enthusiasm a form of “quitting.” It isn’t about getting off the company payroll, these employees say. In fact, the idea is to stay on it—but focus your time on the things you do outside of the office. The videos range from sincere ruminations on work-life balance to snarky jokes. Some set firm boundaries against overtime in favor of family. Others advocate coasting from 9-to-5, doing just enough to get by. Many want to untether their careers from their identities. Of course, every generation enters the workforce and quickly realizes that having a job isn’t all fun and games. Navigating contemptible bosses and the petty indignities that have always been inflicted on the ranks of working stiffs has never been easy. And many people who say, when they’re young, that they don’t care about climbing the corporate ladder end up changing their minds. The difference now is that this group has TikTok and hashtags to emote. And these 20-somethings joined the working world during the Covid-19 pandemic, with all of its dislocating effects, including blurred boundaries between work and life. Many workers say they feel they have power to push back in the current strong labor market. Recent data from Gallup shows employee engagement is declining. Clayton Farris, 41 years old, said that when he recently heard about the new term circulating on social media he realized he’d already been doing it by refusing to let work worries rule over him the way they used to. “The most interesting part about it is nothing’s changed,” he said in his TikTok video. “I still work just as hard. I still get just as much accomplished. I just don’t stress and internally rip myself to shreds.” Across generations, U.S. employee engagement is falling, according to survey data from Gallup, but Gen Z and younger millennials, born in 1989 and after, reported the lowest engagement of all during the first quarter at 31%. Jim Harter, chief scientist for Gallup’s workplace and well-being research, said workers’ descriptions of “quiet quitting” align with a large group of survey respondents that he classifies as “not engaged”—those who will show up to work and do the minimum required but not much else. More than half of workers surveyed by Gallup who were born after 1989—54%—fall into this category. One factor Gallup uses to measure engagement is whether people feel their work has purpose. Younger employees report that they don’t feel that way, the data show. These are the people who are more likely to work passively and look out for themselves over their employers, Dr. Harter said. Paige West, 24, said she stopped overextending herself at a former position as a transportation analyst in Washington, D.C., less than a year into the job. Work stress had gotten so intense that, she said, her hair was falling out and she couldn’t sleep. While looking for a new role, she no longer worked beyond 40 hours each week, didn’t sign up for extra training and stopped trying to socialize with colleagues. “I took a step back and said, ‘I’m just going to work the hours I’m supposed to work, that I’m really getting paid to work,’” she said. “Besides that, I’m not going to go extra.” Ms. West said that she found herself more engaged during meetings once she stopped trying so hard, and she received more positive feedback. She left the job last year and is now a full-time freelance virtual assistant making about 75% of her previous salary. She adjusted by moving back to her home state of Florida. Zaid Khan, a 24-year-old engineer in New York, posted a quiet quitting video that has racked up three million views in two weeks. In his viral TikTok, Mr. Khan explained the concept this way: “You’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond.” “You’re no longer subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality that work has to be your life,” he said. Mr. Khan says he and many of his peers reject the idea that productivity trumps all; they don’t see the payoff. Some online commenters pledged to relax on social media when they had downtime at work. Others say they will follow their job descriptions to the letter, instead of asking for additional assignments. A new crop of quiet-quitting videos is starting to pop up, denouncing the move as a cop-out, not a cure-all for burnout or discontentment at work. People who coast have been fixtures of the office for decades, but many of today’s less-invested employees have been able to skate by thanks to remote work, said Elise Freedman, a senior client partner at consulting firm Korn Ferry. If the economy sours, Ms. Freedman said, less-engaged workers may be more at risk of layoffs. “It’s perfectly appropriate that we expect our employees to give their all,” she said. Josh Bittinger, a 32-year-old market-research director at a management-consulting company, said people who stumble on the phrase “quiet quitting” may assume it encourages people to be lazy, when it actually reminds them to not work to the point of burnout. After years of saying “yes” to everything, in hopes of standing out, Mr. Bittinger said he’s learned to say no more, reserves evenings for himself and avoids checking email on vacation. “I get my job done, my projects done. I’m performing well and I get good feedback,” he said. “And I’m able to still take time to just step away from everything.” Write to Lindsay Ellis at lindsay.ellis@wsj.com and Angela Yang at angela.yang@wsj.com I thought this might be an interesting topic to talk about. I personally work in an hourly job where I can't work overtime (get paid for) overtime without permission and it's hard to justify permission. Plus, my mental health is such that I require downtime. Now, I had had my old job mastered and was able to hit all my targets and go above and beyond and still not have 40 hours worth of work to fill my time. I've recently received a promotion and it is requiring every bit of my mental energy for 40 hours a week. I'm finally (since the death of my child) working a full 40. But I've noticed that my new boss seems to be on the clock 8-5 everyday and still sends me email and messages sometimes as late as even 10-10:30 pm. (And don't get me wrong, sometimes I will take a two hour lunch break and work later so I will be available. But I know his position is subject to the same work rules as mine is and he's clearly putting in more than 40 hours. Personally, I'm just feeling good right now that I'm putting in 40 hours a week because for several months, I was absolutely unable to do so. I also know that I could realistically have/create/do 50+ hours a week worth of work. It's definitely a possibility in this position and I'm getting to create some of my task list myself. My boss hasn't said that he has expectations that I work more than 40 hours a week and I think given the fact that I've struggled since Esther's death, he hasn't pressured me at all, not even to work 40. So this is internal struggle, not pressure from above. I'm just saying, he clearly has an expectation for himself. I'm finally in a job that feels less like a worker bee type job and more like a well-respected career. So I'm wondering just how much of myself to put into it. And then this article popped up this morning. Anybody else with similar thoughts/struggles? Anyone have the key to success for them, the balance where they thrive at work and at home? Do you really feel the tide is turning or has this existed in previous generations and Gen Z is just getting the flack for it?
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Post by christine58 on Aug 19, 2022 13:22:08 GMT
I really need my eyes checked. I thought that said quiet quilting. jeremysgirl .
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 19, 2022 13:23:41 GMT
I really need my eyes checked. I thought that said quiet quilting. jeremysgirl . 🤣😂 well if you want we can talk about quiet quilting too.
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Post by dig-it-al on Aug 19, 2022 13:28:43 GMT
Just had this conversation at my office yesterday. I am very fortunate that the company I work for has ALWAYS given annual raises and funded the full 401k match and profit sharing. Our salaried new hires are told the number of hours and chargeable percentage expected with their salary offer. Bonuses are given to reward those going above and beyond. We have a Work Hard/Play Hard culture at the office. Random Friday afternoon Happy Hours are normal. We recently closed the office on Friday afternoon and had a kickball tournament to celebrate our Interns going back to school. This is on top of an ALL office lunch as a going away for the Interns. We are not a company that has Unlimited Vacation time policies though that is becoming more common in our industry. We don't micro-manage employees. We treat all Employees as Professionals and each is given lots of freedom to come and go as needed, especially during down time, family activities, etc. In the end it comes down to completing your assignments on time. It doesn't take long to weed out employees that can't handle the freedom. They abuse their time away and not getting work assignments completed. Once expectations are pushed those employees usually go looking for a new job.
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pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,816
Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Aug 19, 2022 13:31:26 GMT
Does society need a better work-life balance? Heck yes!
BUT you don't get hired to do the bare minimum. Just scrapping by isn't helping you grow as a person, helping you grow within the company or helping the company grow.
It also puts more on those who already have a full plate because they pick up the slack to keep things moving forward.
I think we have all dealt with quiet quitting (in my opinion bare minimum or slackers) since school with group projects.
They ride the coattails of those putting in more effort and get rewarded.
If you dare say anything to the teacher you got "this is a great opportunity it to learn to work together and share your thoughts and overcome this obstacle."
Yeah, whatever. LOL 😆
I think it would better to either change careers or find a new job than slack.
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,574
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Aug 19, 2022 13:39:19 GMT
This is a really interesting topic! I've definitely noticed it in my adult children--in that they value their non-work lives more than their careers. My son especially vocal (to me) about "if they want more, they need to pay me more".
It's so different than my work ethic at their age, which was "If I'm on the clock, I should be working". I'd find busy work, feeling guilty if I coasted.
I actually think there's value in prioritizing your non work life. I know I hear my generation dissing this concept, but I feel like in many cases, it's a good thing.
Are you wanting to 'climb the corporate ladder'? I know that you're younger than me-- at my age, I'm looking at retirement, so maybe my weighing in on this topic is bogus.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 19, 2022 13:44:39 GMT
pantsonfire the only quote in this article that was about coasting came from a CEO. The rest of the quotes about this topic came from actual Gen Z and Millennial workers. The definition between the two was different. The employer used the word coasting and the employees used the words doing their job description on 40 hours a week, no more. I think it's very telling that employer and employee have different definitions of what quiet quitting is. This article was also from the Wall Street Journal which has a history of putting business owner over employees. That's interesting to me as well. As someone who has worked in white collar America I see this as being very different than the employer view. Doing what is expected of you and what you are actually getting paid for might look like coasting to an employer who is used to generations before them killing themselves in allegiance to the corporation. So basically there are two ways to look at this. I'm looking at both. In my experience in the work world, (Gen X) it looks very much to me like employers have gotten used to their employees being a whole lot more willing to put in the extra effort for the sake of the company and to the detriment of the worker. And people are finally starting to realize that no one on their deathbed says, if only I had worked 10 more hours a week uncompensated!
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pantsonfire
Pearl Clutcher
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 4,816
Jun 19, 2022 16:48:04 GMT
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Post by pantsonfire on Aug 19, 2022 13:47:28 GMT
pantsonfire the only quote in this article that was about coasting came from a CEO. The rest of the quotes about this topic came from actual Gen Z and Millennial workers. The definition between the two was different. The employer used the word coasting and the employees used the words doing their job description on 40 hours a week, no more. I think it's very telling that employer and employee have different definitions of what quiet quitting is. This article was also from the Wall Street Journal which has a history of putting business owner over employees. That's interesting to me as well. As someone who has worked in white collar America I see this as being very different than the employer view. Doing what is expected of you and what you are actually getting paid for might look like coasting to an employer who is used to generations before them killing themselves in allegiance to the corporation. So basically there are two ways to look at this. I'm looking at both. In my experience in the work world, (Gen X) it looks very much to me like employers have gotten used to their employees being a whole lot more willing to put in the extra effort for the sake of the company and to the detriment of the worker. And people are finally starting to realize that no one on their deathbed says, if only I had worked 10 more hours a week uncompensated! I read another article about it...I want to say MSNBC ? I can't remember. But it had several persons who shared how they went about doing the bare minimum at work and why they chose to do so. I was taken aback. Would I love to take it easy? Yeah. Who wouldn't and get paid (or not in circumstances like mine). But again that isn't fair to the others involved.
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wellway
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,808
Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Aug 19, 2022 13:54:17 GMT
pantsonfire the only quote in this article that was about coasting came from a CEO. The rest of the quotes about this topic came from actual Gen Z and Millennial workers. The definition between the two was different. The employer used the word coasting and the employees used the words doing their job description on 40 hours a week, no more. I think it's very telling that employer and employee have different definitions of what quiet quitting is. This article was also from the Wall Street Journal which has a history of putting business owner over employees. That's interesting to me as well. As someone who has worked in white collar America I see this as being very different than the employer view. Doing what is expected of you and what you are actually getting paid for might look like coasting to an employer who is used to generations before them killing themselves in allegiance to the corporation. So basically there are two ways to look at this. I'm looking at both. In my experience in the work world, (Gen X) it looks very much to me like employers have gotten used to their employees being a whole lot more willing to put in the extra effort for the sake of the company and to the detriment of the worker. And people are finally starting to realize that no one on their deathbed says, if only I had worked 10 more hours a week uncompensated! Exactly. If people have to work longer extra hours to cover the basic running of a company, then the employee is not the problem, the employer should hire the correct number of employees to do the job in normal hours. These employees are working their 40 hours, that's not lazy. It is saying I won't be exploited so that the CEO can buy another holiday home because it's not the employee who gets the big big bonuses.
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Post by dig-it-al on Aug 19, 2022 13:58:18 GMT
This is a really interesting topic! I've definitely noticed it in my adult children--in that they value their non-work lives more than their careers. My son especially vocal (to me) about "if they want more, they need to pay me more". It's so different than my work ethic at their age, which was "If I'm on the clock, I should be working". I'd find busy work, feeling guilty if I coasted. I actually think there's value in prioritizing your non work life. I know I hear my generation dissing this concept, but I feel like in many cases, it's a good thing. Are you wanting to 'climb the corporate ladder'? I know that you're younger than me-- at my age, I'm looking at retirement, so maybe my weighing in on this topic is bogus. My kids say the same thing to me. While I think I worked hard to be there for them and attend all school functions, there were other times I was still working until 7pm at night (or later). But if I wasn't home my husband was. They were never left alone like I was while being raised by a single Mom. My kids got to reap the benefits of hard working parents and the money we make. They now have to understand that maintaining a similar lifestyle that they grew up in takes effort. They are free to create any lifestyle they want with the income they are earning. They just can't complain about it.
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keithurbanlovinpea
Pearl Clutcher
Flowing with the go...
Posts: 4,280
Jun 29, 2014 3:29:30 GMT
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Aug 19, 2022 14:03:15 GMT
I have been in my current job for 6 years. I like it well enough, and love my team. But early on I busted my butt for a lot of other people and teams, and I have seen very little in the way of rewards for giving more than my all. So last year, after looking for other employment multiple times but ultimately deciding I liked my current job, I decided to quiet quit. I still care, I still do my job, but I don't bust my ass for any people except my team and my boss. The rest of the folks can figure it out for themselves. My personal life has benefited greatly from this change, and strangely enough, my career has not suffered.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 19, 2022 14:04:39 GMT
pantsonfire the only quote in this article that was about coasting came from a CEO. The rest of the quotes about this topic came from actual Gen Z and Millennial workers. The definition between the two was different. The employer used the word coasting and the employees used the words doing their job description on 40 hours a week, no more. I think it's very telling that employer and employee have different definitions of what quiet quitting is. This article was also from the Wall Street Journal which has a history of putting business owner over employees. That's interesting to me as well. As someone who has worked in white collar America I see this as being very different than the employer view. Doing what is expected of you and what you are actually getting paid for might look like coasting to an employer who is used to generations before them killing themselves in allegiance to the corporation. So basically there are two ways to look at this. I'm looking at both. In my experience in the work world, (Gen X) it looks very much to me like employers have gotten used to their employees being a whole lot more willing to put in the extra effort for the sake of the company and to the detriment of the worker. And people are finally starting to realize that no one on their deathbed says, if only I had worked 10 more hours a week uncompensated! I read another article about it...I want to say MSNBC ? I can't remember. But it had several persons who shared how they went about doing the bare minimum at work and why they chose to do so. I was taken aback. Would I love to take it easy? Yeah. Who wouldn't and get paid (or not in circumstances like mine). But again that isn't fair to the others involved. I just wonder (and I'm not trying to be a jerk here just realistic) if given the fact that you haven't worked in the corporate white collar world, your perspective on the reasonableness of employee expectations might be different than someone who has? And again, I'm not trying to be a dick. I've just seen these things in play. And some employers are super good about being fully staffed and valuing employees who work hard 40 hours a week and have families to take care of outside of work and personal commitments. And I've also seen employers who expect the job to get done no matter how long it takes and being unwilling to hire enough staff and pay their employees for all the extra. And that is not even to mention all the mixer/engagement/schmoozing they expect you to do outside of the office and off the clock completely. . I've also seen the qualified person who does go above and beyond not get promoted because they are too "valuable" to their lesser position.
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Post by Susie_Homemaker on Aug 19, 2022 14:10:50 GMT
These employees are working their 40 hours, that's not lazy. It is saying I won't be exploited so that the CEO can buy another holiday home because it's not the employee who gets the big big bonuses. I agree. Working "only" the required 40 hours is not lazy, it's how it should be. Luckily, I've never had a job where I've had to work more than 8-5 hours and I always leave work at work. I'm not cut out for the competitive, workworkwork to get ahead mentality. I think that what is done outside of work is way more important than my job. I can be replaced at work, but not by my loved ones.
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Post by withapea on Aug 19, 2022 14:14:07 GMT
I believe in work ethic but the reality is that the world is not as it was decades ago. Employees are not valued, production increases while they are continually expected to do more with less. Rewards go to the top. ( obviously there are always exceptions ). Bottom lines are going to be protected over their workforce. I see my daughter falling into the some of the same traps I did and I’ve told her to be really careful. Her life and mental well being are important, she shouldn’t have to be taking tons of afterwork calls as an hourly employee or picking up projects outside her job description that are unpaid, all in the name if being a good employee.
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,524
Jun 30, 2014 12:52:45 GMT
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Post by ellen on Aug 19, 2022 14:23:02 GMT
In recent years we've seen a difference in our new teachers. They don't give up several days of their summer to set up a classroom. They follow the contract hours and they use their personal days. Some teachers have been critical of that, but I think that might be the key to longevity in our profession.
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Post by wallyagain on Aug 19, 2022 14:25:53 GMT
Good for this generation. I have been working on my DH about things like this. There are no Atta Boys and no one cares how many extra hours he puts in and what it is doing to his health.
If you work an extra 15 minutes every work day, for 50 weeks, that works out to about 8 days of unpaid work in the year. And that’s just 15 minutes. Most companies do not care about their employees.
Just an FYI, I am 59 years old. Apparently I am supposed to get more conservative as I get older. But not this cat, life is way too short for that crap.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 19, 2022 14:36:35 GMT
In recent years we've seen a difference in our new teachers. They don't give up several days of their summer to set up a classroom. They follow the contract hours and they use their personal days. Some teachers have been critical of that, but I think that might be the key to longevity in our profession. I think teachers too are some of the most abused white collar workers out there as far as expectation and workload vs. Adequate compensation goes.
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Anita
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,659
Location: Kansas City -ish
Jun 27, 2014 2:38:58 GMT
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Post by Anita on Aug 19, 2022 14:36:51 GMT
After years of burnout in a variety of jobs, I get it. Slacking is one thing. I see this trend as not letting work take advantage of you. Why would you give extra for an employer that really doesn't care about your personal life, overworks you, stresses you out, and likely dumps more onto your plate than you signed up for as others around you get fed up and leave? Americans have this unhealthy obsession with letting work be the center of their world. It owns you, yet gives little in return. Good for people for putting their lives first. No one ever wishes they'd worked more on their death bed.
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,020
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Aug 19, 2022 14:40:22 GMT
In recent years we've seen a difference in our new teachers. They don't give up several days of their summer to set up a classroom. They follow the contract hours and they use their personal days. Some teachers have been critical of that, but I think that might be the key to longevity in our profession. I am a teacher. I used to bring work home at night. I used to grade on weekends. I used to use part of my summer prepping and planning. The older I get, the less I do outside of school. I have one life to live. I want to enjoy my life. My job is not my life. I think that is very important to remember. I rarely do any school work outside of school. I don't know why we invented a work ethic that you have to always go above and beyond. Unless I am rewarded for "above and beyond", I am staying in my lane.
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paget
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,767
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:39 GMT
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Post by paget on Aug 19, 2022 14:40:47 GMT
My work bestie told me about quiet quitting a few weeks ago and now it’s our inside joke when we are frustrated/having a bad day- we text each other that we are over here quiet quitting. We’ve also made jokes about our coworkers have reached expert level at it.
That said, this coworker and I are way above and beyond the norm for production - it really is a joke. But what we have taken from it is that it’s ok or smarter to adopt some principles of quiet quitting when it makes sense. For her, she does too much that she really doesn’t need to do and the “quiet quitting” is a reminder to her to lessen up a bit on some tasks for her own sanity/quality of work life. The tasks still get done - it’s hard to explain without you knowing exactly what the work entails. In our profession there are no bonuses for work well done and the production of staff varies wildly - you really do just need to meet the basic minimum (and plenty of people don’t do that and it doesn’t matter).
For me, I am a high achiever and always like to do my best and go above and beyond. I do it without stress- I do it for enjoyment of work well done and helping others. I have noticed I’ve slowed my roll in the past couple of years (still much higher production than others) for a variety of reasons. I’ve been operating under my own version of quiet quitting -finding a balance of doing things to a level that makes me happy (well above what’s expected) while enjoying more sort of free time/down time. However, on Monday I applied for a new position as I am bored. I really need more of a challenge. I’ve thought it for a while but decided I valued the option for the slower/easier lifestyle l it now I think I’m ready. So we will see what happens. If I get (and accept) the job, quiet quitting will go out the window as it’s much higher profile position and a newly created position. I’ll be busy!
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scorpeao
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,521
Location: NorCal USA
Jun 25, 2014 21:04:54 GMT
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Post by scorpeao on Aug 19, 2022 14:42:34 GMT
I've been with my company for 18 years. During that time I've moved to different departments. In the beginning at a new department I go above and beyond, but after a couple years I find that doing that does nothing....I don't get paid more than those who do the bare minimum, and since I don't have a bunch of letters in my signature, specifically a phd, I'll always be passed over for any promotion. We've had many long time employees leave due to no upward mobility. I'm planning on retiring in 10 years, so I'll just continue doing what I'm told, but I won't volunteer for anything above and beyond.
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Post by Sorrel on Aug 19, 2022 14:42:40 GMT
In recent years we've seen a difference in our new teachers. They don't give up several days of their summer to set up a classroom. They follow the contract hours and they use their personal days. Some teachers have been critical of that, but I think that might be the key to longevity in our profession. I have been a school speech therapist for two and a half decades. In all that time I have NEVER been given any kind of reasonable caseload. It is beyond ridiculous and not sustainable. About 5 years ago I decided I wasn't going to take hours of IEP paperwork home with me. Why should I continue to burn myself out? Not like I get any kind of thanks, respect or reward anyway. If it doesn't get done during work hours, it doesn't get done. If the district doesn't like it then they need to hire more people. But they won't- we are currently bargaining our new teaching contract and just on Wednesday they claimed "it just wasn't feasible" to give us hard caseload caps.
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,020
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Aug 19, 2022 14:43:13 GMT
I also spend as little money as possible on supplies for my classroom. I used to spend money. I teach middle school computer science so I don't have to get fancy. But in the past I purchased robots and gadgets, etc. No more. This year I bought 2 mechanical pencils. I always buy a Plum Paper planner. That is my treat to myself.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 19, 2022 14:50:28 GMT
This is a really interesting topic! I've definitely noticed it in my adult children--in that they value their non-work lives more than their careers. My son especially vocal (to me) about "if they want more, they need to pay me more". It's so different than my work ethic at their age, which was "If I'm on the clock, I should be working". I'd find busy work, feeling guilty if I coasted. I actually think there's value in prioritizing your non work life. I know I hear my generation dissing this concept, but I feel like in many cases, it's a good thing. Are you wanting to 'climb the corporate ladder'? I know that you're younger than me-- at my age, I'm looking at retirement, so maybe my weighing in on this topic is bogus. Actually I figure I will stay in my current position until the person whose job I want retires. Which I figure should be in about 5-7 years. I think that is my end of road position before retirement.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Aug 19, 2022 14:51:01 GMT
Across generations, U.S. employee engagement is falling, according to survey data from Gallup, but Gen Z and younger millennials, born in 1989 and after, reported the lowest engagement of all during the first quarter at 31%. Jim Harter, chief scientist for Gallup’s workplace and well-being research, said workers’ descriptions of “quiet quitting” align with a large group of survey respondents that he classifies as “not engaged”—those who will show up to work and do the minimum required but not much else. More than half of workers surveyed by Gallup who were born after 1989—54%—fall into this category. huh. I thought I felt like this only because I've been working for 30 years, and I'm starting to think more and more about retirement! lol. No, not really... I started working in corporate America in 1992, and worked for 10-12 years with people who were VERY much about 'above and beyond' but in the early-mid 2000s, the corporation started cutting back on perks, benefits, retiree benefits, etc. My stress regarding work (my perfectionist tendencies) started getting bad enough that I started getting physically ill- and finally realized "the company doesn't care that much about me, so I *can't* care that much about the company any more" which was the start of my 'less-caring' attitude. I moved from that company and over the last 20 years, have only worked 5-7 years for each company since then... the last couple companies were very much about 'work/life' balance, but only for the office workers. The production workers are still expected to work VERY long hours, short-notice overtime and/or weekend work, for very low pay. But I've noticed that my new boss seems to be on the clock 8-5 everyday and still sends me email and messages sometimes as late as even 10-10:30 pm. My current job is the first one I've had that is actually salaried instead of hourly. My one-way commute is an hour+, and like I said, I'm at the point in my career where I'm not that 'into' long hours at work any more. The other management people I work with seem to be the type of people who are always at work... even working late on Friday afternoons, they read their work emails in the evenings, etc. I really don't understand that attitude (especially since they both have families and pets to go home to). To me, my job / salary is only the means to the end of having health benefits, getting $$ to support our lifestyle OUTSIDE of work, etc. and the older I get, the more I feel like that. My identity is not defined by my job / salary any longer. I did kind of feel like that when I was just starting out. As someone who has worked in white collar America I see this as being very different than the employer view. Doing what is expected of you and what you are actually getting paid for might look like coasting to an employer who is used to generations before them killing themselves in allegiance to the corporation. So basically there are two ways to look at this. I'm looking at both. In my experience in the work world, (Gen X) it looks very much to me like employers have gotten used to their employees being a whole lot more willing to put in the extra effort for the sake of the company and to the detriment of the worker. And people are finally starting to realize that no one on their deathbed says, if only I had worked 10 more hours a week uncompensated! ^^^ yup. I don't see it as slacking; but there is ALWAYS 'more work' to be done, and there's a difference between killing yourself mentally / physically EVERY frickin' day when there is no outside deadline, finish point, etc. and doing a reasonable amount of work on a given day. IMO. eta, here's an example of what the company sees / does vs. the employee viewpoint: the company just finished / opened up a (small) fitness center, with 3-4 treadmills, one or two other machines, and two showers. Maybe there are people who will use it, but I won't be one of them. I don't want to stay even *longer* at work just to use the treadmill when I could be home or somewhere else. To me that is a useless perk and a waste of money; the $$ could have been better spent elsewhere.
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vexedangel
Full Member
Posts: 361
Nov 4, 2018 20:14:04 GMT
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Post by vexedangel on Aug 19, 2022 14:54:35 GMT
I used to be a teacher, and am now a therapist where I'm pulling kids out...and I am doing my job now in the hours provided, nothing more. Because I have seen the whole spectrum among my coworkers...some are killing themselves slowly working nights and weekends and some are coasting. I feel good about where I am. I'm definitely "earning my keep," but I'm able to get high quality work done and meet all the requirements of my job within my work hours, and it is freeing. I think there is always more to be done in education, but there is never any hope of a bonus or a raise based on individual merit, or promotions based on going above and beyond... so it is what it is.
I think with all the push for "wellness," and work life balance, this is what people are talking about. And educators have been exhorted for years to "do it for the kids," but the reality is admin do 1/3 of the work (and never with kids btw) and get 3x the pay, and treat educational staff as babysitters. I have suffered burnout, I have suffered compassion fatigue, and if I don't compartmentalize my work and my personal life, I will be hospitalized. That's the track I was on. Not worth it, as someone said, your job can replace you, but your family cannot.
I was complaining about how I was irritated with all but 2 coworkers yesterday, and my husband said, that's when I like to calculate how much I make per minute. Walk to get a soda from the machine. Walk back and take a sip or two. Then realize I've just paid for the soda I just bought. Then pick it back up and go again. IDK if I totally agree with his perspective, but it made me LOL to hear him say it.
But I am giving it my all when I am there. Plenty of therapists refuse to help with crises or behavior or to let a teacher run to the bathroom. I've been in the classroom, I hop in wherever I'm needed when something is going on and I am there, because I know it's all hands on deck, and ultimately, it helps all of us and it's good karma.
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Post by Tearisci on Aug 19, 2022 14:56:00 GMT
My DS is 29 and working a 'real' job with a lot of responsibility. He is really all about the work-life balance and won't put his company email on his phone or be available on Slack after work hours.
I never realized it was something with this generation but it's very interesting!
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Post by epeanymous on Aug 19, 2022 14:56:44 GMT
This is such bull puckey (on the part of employers), and I see it constantly. People have been expected to do more and more over the years without compensation, and wages have stagnated while people are being asked to do more.
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Post by gar on Aug 19, 2022 14:57:30 GMT
pantsonfire the only quote in this article that was about coasting came from a CEO. The rest of the quotes about this topic came from actual Gen Z and Millennial workers. The definition between the two was different. The employer used the word coasting and the employees used the words doing their job description on 40 hours a week, no more. I think it's very telling that employer and employee have different definitions of what quiet quitting is. This article was also from the Wall Street Journal which has a history of putting business owner over employees. That's interesting to me as well. As someone who has worked in white collar America I see this as being very different than the employer view. Doing what is expected of you and what you are actually getting paid for might look like coasting to an employer who is used to generations before them killing themselves in allegiance to the corporation. So basically there are two ways to look at this. I'm looking at both. In my experience in the work world, (Gen X) it looks very much to me like employers have gotten used to their employees being a whole lot more willing to put in the extra effort for the sake of the company and to the detriment of the worker. And people are finally starting to realize that no one on their deathbed says, if only I had worked 10 more hours a week uncompensated! I read another article about it...I want to say MSNBC ? I can't remember. But it had several persons who shared how they went about doing the bare minimum at work and why they chose to do so. I was taken aback. Would I love to take it easy? Yeah. Who wouldn't and get paid (or not in circumstances like mine). But again that isn't fair to the others involved. Regarding your last paragraph- I don’t think it’s about taking it easy, it’s about working hard, to the best of your ability, diligently and with focus - while you’re being paid. Once those hours are up it’s your time not your employer’s. If that leaves jobs unfinished then the company needs more employees as someone else said upthread.
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Post by austnscrapaddict on Aug 19, 2022 15:00:51 GMT
jeremysgirl You are the best conversation starter!! I saw an article on ( I think) the Today show a few days ago. At first I thought it was a new term for " already checked out" but, then I realized it's more work/life balance related. I'm not the generation that this relates to since my next step up the ladder will be retirement in a few years. But, I come from the " you do what you have to do " generation. I currently work a salary job and there are weeks, especially 3rd and 4th quarter, that I'll work upwards of 80 hours a week. But in Q1 and Q2 I have probably stay around 40 hours. I have 32 clients and I have to do what it takes to keep their benefits in order. That said, I have 2 coordinators( assistants) and numerous other departments doing their piece of the puzzle too. An interesting fact is that our team of 16 Account Exec's median age is 50 ish. the younger ( 20 and 30's) just don't have the dedication to make it on our team. We have the absolute best V.P director. She makes sure we can have support and jumps in to help where ever she can. I'm not sure if this is relative to this conversation, but, the first 15-18 years of my working life, I worked as a Rad. Tech. I was hourly, working critical care. My kids were young and I worked nights, evening and weekends, to be able to raise my kids. There were day shift staff that were constantly taking off for this appointment or that and it was noticed by managers and reflected in their evaluations and raises. Life does happen. But it can also be abused. I hear from young people, how they expect their employers to "give" them time off for things and why should they make it up? I'm completely believe in work/life balance and although I give my employer 110%, I never feel that I have to miss out on life. Yes, I've had to pass on things I'd like to do, but that is what life is. Maybe what's missing is the pride in what we do that my parents instilled in me?? Dang I sound old :-)
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