Why 25% Of Workers Just Quit Their Job

Does anybody want to work anymore? It seems like quiet quitting is everywhere now. They're saying half of people are thinking about quiet quitting. Late-night emails, ignore those. Quiet quitting is a really bad idea.

What's up, guys? It's Graham here. So first, we had the Great Resignation, where forty percent of employees voluntarily left their jobs. Then we have the Great Regret, where 72 percent of those workers felt misled about their new roles. And now we have a topic that's beginning to gain a lot of popularity: quiet quitting.

This is a movement where employees are pushing back against the idea of going above and beyond, taking on extra work, and participating in the hustle culture of doing anything more than the bare minimum. It's already having some serious implications throughout our economy. For example, U.S. productivity just posted its biggest annual drop ever. One in four workers have already quietly quit, and the term is only getting more popular, with TikToks, articles, and blogs racking up millions and millions of views.

So let's talk about exactly what's going on—the reasons so many people are quietly quitting their jobs, why this is a serious concern with the search term layoffs having just recently increased in popularity, and then, most importantly, what you could do about this to make you money. Although before we start, it would mean a lot to me if you quietly smashed that like button for the YouTube algorithm and subscribed if you haven't done that already. Doing that helps out tremendously, and as a thank you, I will do my best to respond to as many comments as I can. So, thank you guys so much! And also, a big thank you to public.com for sponsoring this video, but more on that later.

Alright, so to start, even though the term quiet quitting has existed for well over a decade, its recent trajectory is all thanks to a viral TikTok, which summarized that even though you're not outright quitting your job, you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond. You're still performing your duties, but you're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life and that your worth is not defined by your productive output.

From that point on, the concept of quiet quitting and doing exactly what is expected has taken on a life of its own, garnering a lot of criticism from employers who feel like their workers are no longer engaged and employees who feel like they're overworked for the bare minimum pay. But in terms of quiet quitting, I have to say this is what I found most surprising, and most likely it applies to all of you watching. Even though most people have the same standard 9-5 schedule, research found that in an eight-hour day, the average worker is only productive for two hours and 53 minutes.

In fact, the study of 2,000 full-time office workers found that workers spend more time reading news, checking social media, discussing non-work-related things with co-workers, and searching for new jobs than they did actual work. Now, for those who work from home, this is fantastic because, in theory, you should be able to complete an entire day's worth of tasks in a fraction of the time while being able to work without having an angry boss looking over your shoulder. But for everyone else, it's not looking good, and employee productivity is suffering.

This also plays into the aspect of what's known as Parkinson's Law, which suggests that your work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Or, more simply put, the longer you have to get something done, the longer you will take to complete it. That's why, in my opinion, the standard 9 to 5 Monday through Friday schedule is broken. It doesn't allow for a blanket amount of tasks to be completed, and if you have the option to leave as soon as your work is done, almost every study shows that you would work so efficiently to get it done within hours just so that you could have the rest of the day to do whatever you want.

Although even with all of that said, it seems as though the problem is that employers want to get the most from their employees at the lowest cost possible, while employees want to get the most from their employers with the least amount of work as possible. And that, of course, is what brings us to today.

Alright, now in terms of why nearly 50% of the workforce has suddenly begun to quietly quit, it was found that first, the vast majority of people want the option to work from home. In fact, one in four pandemic home buyers would choose to stay in their new home and find a new job if required to return to the office. On top of that, 10,000 employees surveyed said that they thought they were just as productive working from home. Thirty percent said that they were more productive and engaged with their work and were saving an average of 40 minutes a day from commuting.

Second, employees are looking for less work. With the labor shortage and a strong economy, employees now have the option to look for other work that could be the same, if not more, with less responsibility, so they're taking it. Third, people are doing the bare minimum and quitting because they value career growth. It was found that 80 percent of those thinking about leaving a job are concerned about career growth, and nearly 75 percent say that the pandemic made them rethink their skill sets.

I've covered this before, but it was found that workers who stay within the same company for more than two to three years get paid, on average, 50 percent less than the person who hops from job to job. That's because workers who switch jobs are able to negotiate better terms with higher pay, and that's where they're moving. And fifth, companies are flat out just getting more competitive. Employers in 2022 have begun to pay more, offer better conditions, and give more flexibility, meaning those who stay within the same company are often overlooked for the new person who's just hired.

However, unfortunately, it doesn't quite end here because even though employees have had the upper hand, not everyone looks at this favorably, and there are some downsides that need to be discussed. Although before we go into that, if you're thinking about quitting or changing jobs, it's important to first make sure you have enough saved and invested to fall back on. That's where our sponsor, public.com, wants to help because they're an investment platform that helps people be better investors.

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And now with that said, let's get back to the video. Alright, now in terms of quiet quitting, from my perspective, it seems as though the general philosophy is to simply do exactly as you're paid to do, don't give any more than you have to, and prioritize your life over answering emails after 5 PM. Now, someone who has both been self-employed and worked for somebody else, I understand the appeal of being able to clock out and then be done for the day. After all, there's the saying that you should act your wage or only do what's expected for the salary that you're given.

From the way I see it, it's perfectly acceptable and you shouldn't be criticized if you're doing your job and doing it well. However, the reality is that acting your wage will come at the cost that most likely you'll have a harder time getting a promotion, getting new opportunities, or even keeping your job if that's something that you value. In fact, even from my own experience, any time you meet somebody's expectations, it's almost as though you're a ghost, and all of your work goes unrecognized since there's an equal trade of value.

Just consider it like going into a cookie shop and buying an average cookie for one dollar. You get exactly what's expected, and they get exactly what they're worth. But imagine if that cookie shop also implemented incredible customer service, a welcoming atmosphere, a rewards program, and a little bonus for being a customer. All of a sudden, you're way more likely to talk about them and come back as a repeat customer because they exceeded your expectations.

In a way, from my perspective, the exact same thing also applies to you and your work. If you're the type who wants recognition, who wants to grow within their career, and wants to make more money, it's often better to do a little bit more than expected. By doing so, you'll make a lasting impact and stand out over the competition. In addition to that, it also serves as a safety net in the event we see a severe recession with mass layoffs because, like it or not, throughout recessions, we tend to see a complete contraction across the entire economy, including job losses.

I would take this extremely seriously because, even though it's easy to quietly quit, well, unemployment is at an all-time low. Since 1955, the unemployment rate has never held below three and a half percent for more than a year. So even though quiet quitting could give you a better work-life balance temporarily, it also comes with the cost of probably being the first to get cut in the event of a downsize, especially when 74% of your colleagues are still doing more than what's expected.

At the same time, though, not everything is the responsibility of the employee, and employers also have to be held accountable to make sure their employees are treated fairly, compensated appropriately, and that their work is appreciated. Now, that doesn't mean that everyone gets a participation trophy because they showed up on time, but it does mean that they're given a fair environment to find their own motivation with encouragement to work more efficiently, not less.

Sure, some companies are probably flat-out soul-sucking enterprises with the only goal of extracting as much value as humanly possible. Within reach, without any possibility of worthwhile advancement, Bob from accounting spends every unpaid weekend at the cubicle. But I would like to think that most places recognize hard work, and by taking the initiative to do more than expected, you're more likely to be rewarded.

Admittedly, this is how I built my entire business from the ground up as a real estate agent. I took on any extra work I could for free simply because I wanted to make a good impression, and over time, it paid off. Same with YouTube; I just wanted to give people completely free helpful content, even though it distracted from my work as a real estate agent. But I loved it, and then it's grown to where it is today.

In a way, going above and beyond set me apart from everybody else. It gave me so many new opportunities that never would have existed had I not taken that initiative, and it was a sacrifice that I was willing to make to get ahead. But even with all of that said, the issue that I see is that, at the end of the day, too many employees are not engaged with their work, they're not happy with what they're doing, and they're not incentivized in a way to push through.

But if that's the case and you don't already have millions of dollars sitting in the bank to fall back on, then you have to make the most of your time working for someone else. Find a balance between personal fulfillment and doing something that gets you to the next phase of your life where you'll be happier. From my perspective, it's totally okay to set boundaries in terms of your work-life balance, but it also shouldn't be a surprise if someone else gets a promotion or a better opportunity, and that needs to be factored in at least to some degree.

Of course, on the flip side, employers should not be expecting their employees to keep one-upping each other for a raise that doesn't even match the pace of inflation. Plus, I'm sure it's also demotivating to see the person who slacks off getting paid the exact same as the other person who goes above and beyond. So companies need to create an environment where there can be incentives along the way for people who want to take them.

As far as what you could do about this, honestly, if you're the type who enjoys what they're doing, is self-motivated, and has a clear path for what you want, then use this as an opportunity to stand out and make yourself indispensable for the company. It could also be a great time to look for other work that's more personally fulfilling or create a better environment in terms of what you want out of life.

There's going to be some give and take, but if you're at the point where you're already quietly quitting, I'd say it's probably best to reflect on where you find the most happiness, balance that with the limitation that you're probably not going to get the career advancements and promotions versus the other person who gives it 110%, and then move to a place where you feel more appreciated.

Everyone is going to be different, and there's no one-size-fits-all approach, but at least I hope this sheds some light on the situation. And if you enjoyed this, make sure to quietly subscribe if you haven't done that already. So with that said, you guys, thank you so much for watching. As always, feel free to add me on Instagram. Thank you so much for watching, and until next time.