Three things to consider about Quiet Quitting 🤫, Well-Being & the Future of Work

Last week I hosted an audio event focused on rethinking our perspective on well-being, work-life balance, the future of work, and 'job-crafting.'

 We were joined by leadership trainer, facilitator, and learning designer Shiva Roofeh.

 Shiva's definition of quiet quitting:

"…it's looking at your job description and saying, that's what I'm going to do. And I'm not going to go above and beyond. Simple as that. And also, it's, I think, possibly founded in this radical concept, that your job does not have to be your identity, and that you can work to live instead of live to work."

(Listen to the entire audio event here where Shiva shares her perspective on whether we need to find purpose in our 9-5)

 Here are three essential items we discussed during our conversation:

1/ Even if you are following your purpose or making money off your purpose, you need to have boundaries. No one's entire life can be work.

"Look at my parents. The second they stopped working, they lost all meaning to their life. Like they have no idea what to do with themselves [now]. They have no hobbies. And like, my dad is constantly telling me get a hobby, get a hobby, like get something else that you love and enjoy this not work because when that's gone, you feel like you've got nothing."

2/ The concept of 'quiet quitting' is very U.S. based.

"...when I first moved to Spain, just a little bit background, I mean, Iranian was a refugee in Italy. And then, I grew up in New York, from the age of five until about 18. And then, about 15 years ago, I moved to Spain. And I remember being... in my U.S. mentality so much in that competitive purpose, hustle, hustle, hustle mentality. It was a frickin' culture shock when I came here because what we consider quite quitting was just the weight of being here. It was very clear that your work is a means to an end. It is a way to get money so that you can do the things that you love outside. And all of the folks I interacted with had stuff outside of work that they did. And I was amazed by this. So you go hiking on the weekends, or you go to yoga class three times a week, you learn a different language as well, what is all of this stuff that you're doing? And it's not for your work? It's purely for the joy of it."

 (Listen to Shiva answer a question about how certain groups are perceived as 'lazy' [23:27])

3/ Having boundaries should not be misconstrued as 'quiet quitting.' It is vital to set boundaries with clients and colleagues from the beginning.

"…we get so sucked into that day-to-day that we forget that we're allowed to put boundaries, we forget that we're allowed to say no, we forget that quality, that quantity alone is not going to save us… [focusing on] quantities [is] harming us…."

 We must create space to question how we show up and whether it is getting us closer or further to our goals.

"… entrepreneurs…leave our organizations…because of the culture and ways of working, but then we just replicate those same ways working in our business."

(Listen to hear Shiva's advice on how to set boundaries within the workplace and with clients [33:23])

What is your definition of quiet quitting? Could you be conflating having a 'well-rounded' and 'healthy' life for not being 'ambitious' enough? Let me know below.

P.S. My first founder interview of 2023 is coming out tomorrow on the podcast. We are talking about money and the importance of liking yourself. Make sure you subscribe here.

P.P.S. The first step in setting effective boundaries is knowing your value. Join my next #IamRemarkable session, where we will talk about the importance of self-promotion and how it is related to being able to advocate for yourself. Register to secure your seat here.