In 2021, about a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many people left their jobs in what became known as The Great Resignation. Although mainly an American phenomenon, it affected other places directly or indirectly.

The next wave came with people staying in their jobs, but quiet quitting. A movement where one remains working but performs only the bare minimum to fulfill their primary responsibilities in order to maintain employment and collect a salary.

Even not counting yourself among those who were quietly quitting, it is important to be aware of the consequences, given that the behavior can be contagious, and you may find yourself saying “if they do it, why shouldn’t I?”

As tempting as it may be, resist the impulse. It is a bad strategy and against your best interest.  

The cost of cruising

A downside of functioning on autopilot, and only working on the minimum required tasks to maintain your job, is that you already know how to do everything you are doing. Your mind is in stasis, growth is stagnant, and learning is ossified.

In the meantime, technology is evolving, new techniques are being developed, new tools become available, and you are refusing yourself from all of that. Others aren’t.

The relevancy of your skills depreciates, and the odds dwindle for finding better employment (if a new job is what you want), taking your new startup off the ground (if entrepreneurship is your path), or whatever else your plans may be.

Invest in yourself

One may try to justify quiet quitting in a variety of ways, yet, irrespective of the reason, doing the bare minimum is the least advantageous path for you to choose.

A viable, and better, alternative is to invest in yourself. What I mean by that is to work on the tasks assigned to and use them as a lever to improve your craft. For example, learn a new technology or how a recently released tool works, and discover how to apply them to complete your tasks. Suddenly, you have hands-on experience with it. Additionally, the quality of the job was likely higher, making both you and the company better off.

You learned, grew professionally, and prepared yourself better for whatever comes next. You also did high quality work for the company, resulting in better products. That is a fair trade.

Summary

Quiet quitting is a bad strategy, with little to nothing in it for you—or the company. Whether you want to switch employer, teams, start your own business, or even want to stay in your current job. You would be depreciating yourself, keeping your skills stagnant in time. A better plan is to invest in yourself, adopt an attitude of excellence and be better prepared for whatever comes next. This is a fair trade for you and the organization.

And if you decide to part ways, you will be leaving on good terms and with the house in order. Should you wish or need to come back, the door may be ajar.