Quiet quitting from work is a  good idea, but it’s just not new - Allan Crow

They might be on to something. It’s certainly timely - but it’s just not new.

The school of thought that work is not your life is simply recycling what has been said many times before, only it came wrapped in the age old observation “no-one on their death bed uttered the final words ‘boy I wish I’d spent more time in the office.’ “

It’s now a buzz on LinkedIn as bosses fret about the mindset of their workforce, and people start to re-assess their work-life balance post pandemic, and decide that maybe doing all those extra hours for no extra pay or recognition just ain’t worth it.

Its origins may stem from China where a hashtag, meaning "lie flat" was adopted in protest against the country’s culture of very long hours. That sounds familiar …

Quiet quitting actually has nothing to do with quitting, and more to do with stepping off the corporate hamster wheel.

That means going to work, doing what is asked of you and then going home and, importantly, switching off.

That will vary from person to person, but it could mean leaving work on time, an end to checking and replying to emails as you have your tea, doing weekend prep work, and stepping away from the ‘above and beyond’ ethos held dear by many an MD and line manager when they assess the strengths and weaknesses of their teams as they pencil in the next round of promotions and end of year reviews.

I guess my generation and the one before it - and probably the one before that - have spent most of our working lives with that approach ingrained in offices and businesses. We’re probably blind to it now.

None of it was ever written down, but it was part of the culture or environment. In some places you are almost expected to do more, while elsewhere people will volunteer for more as they strive for career progression.

The notion of ‘just’ doing the job you’re paid to do is often perceived as a shortcoming or weakness by bosses who seem incapable of understanding you can love your job but perhaps not the company, or do it for the salary without necessarily loving the role.

Do your job and go home was the mantra of a colleague whose commitment and contribution could never have been challenged. He was right.

Finding that balance is down to each individual.

Maybe quiet quitting could help some people take back control.

Young people are apparently all stressed out over the fact that work can be demanding and ever-present and pretty rubbish. Newsflash - it is and has been for as long as I can recall.

We are paid to do ‘x’ but often find a box marked ‘other stuff’ which has to be dealt with, and so the hours expand and the balance is skewed.

Working from home has absolutely blurred those boundaries, and crept into our mornings, evenings and weekends.

The off button is buried somewhere down the back of the settee we get to finally sit on after dark.

Maybe if we all quit quietly, we might locate it …