Is 'Quiet Quitting' just a tik tok phenomenon or is it genuinely a coping mechanism for employees to protect themselves from the pressure of work?

This week’s guest argues that Quiet Quitting is a way for workers to moderate how much cognitively and emotionally they are giving to their working lives in order to remain healthy at work.

 Dr Maria Kordowicz FRSA is a Chartered Psychologist, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour and Director of the Centre for Interprofessional Education and Learning at the University of Nottingham.

 Dr Maria argues that the pandemic triggered a highly anxious state for many of us by putting us face to face with our own mortality and inevitably leading to us question what in life is most important to us.

This is a fascinating and thought provoking interview that really unpacks our relationship with work.

Is Quiet Quitting just a Tik Tok phenomenon? [01:27]
Partly argues Dr Maria but since the pandemic many of us have been questioning our relationship with work therefore it's not surprising some individuals have decided to devote more time to other areas of their life.

Are elements of Quiet Quitting good for the worker? [03:56]
Yes says Dr Maria.  Quiet Quitting or reevaluating our relationship with work can be a copping mechanism that protects individuals from work becoming too invasive and all consuming.

The link to a 4 day week? [08:13]
Despite having her views described as 'snow flakey' in a national newspaper, Dr Maria is in support of initiatives such as the 4 day week as it allows individuals to think differently about  productivity and their contribution to society and not just about income and tax revenues generated.

Are command and control cultures for the scrapheap? [12:33]
Yes answers Dr Maria, she evidences this by referring to some research she carried out for the Prison and Probation service where a culture that was much more collaborative and egalitarian and focused on human thriving was much more positive than a command and control structure.

The relationship between the line manager and the employee explored [16:00]
Dr Maria points to her work in management and supervision and what sort of style and behaviours employees want their managers to display. Dr Maria reminds us that managers too  can suffer from burnout and therefore can also quietly quit.

How can HR professionals overcome quiet quitting?
Dr Maria recommends tending too the building blocks of the relationship and providing employees with the psychological safety to have an open dialogue in order to re-connect.

Resources:
https://ovenreadyhr.com/
https://mariakordowicz.com/