What is ‘Quiet Quitting’, and are people resorting to it in Oman?

Muscat: Have you ever been tempted to quit your job but had to stay on for monetary reasons? Well, perhaps there’s a solution for you.

'Quiet quitting' refers to a phenomenon where employees limit their scope of work, sticking to the bare minimum and refusing to go beyond what is expected of them. According to Professor Anna Scheyett of the University of Georgia, the term gained popularity in 2021 when a TikTok video by career coach Brian Creely went viral.

In his video, Brian shared that there has been a shift in how individuals view work and their relationship with work arrangements over the last few years. He attributed the phenomenon as a reaction to multiple issues, including toxic work environments, long hours, poor pay, or personal issues.

I spoke to a few individuals in Oman to see if anyone is quitting quietly.

When I approached 43-year-old Mohammed, who holds a managerial position at a public institution, he was unaware of the term. However, soon after explaining it to him, he exclaimed that he's doing it at the moment. “That is what I am doing at the moment; my job lacks any incentives or consequences for that matter,” he shared.

“However, the issue is not within the job but rather lies within the system, specifically with outdated laws that don't align with the current era's requirements.” To combat this, he believes that institutions should adopt more flexible systems that will allow creativity to flourish, like remote working or reduced office hours.

On the other hand, 26-year-old videographer and photographer Abdullah shared that he had to ‘quietly quit’ his previous job due to poor working conditions. “I had to quit my previous job quietly for seven months due to delayed salaries and lack of benefits.” According to Abdullah, he was met with disdain when he brought the matter to management. “Instead, I decided to do the bare minimum while actively looking for another job. The moment I decided to stop caring so much, I felt so much better.”

30-year-old journalist Laila shared that she had to quit quietly at different times during her career to take care of her mental health. 'I think due to the demanding nature of my job and the lack of mental health laws within the workspace in Oman, I started to experience burnout.”

'As a result, I had to drastically adjust my productivity levels to match my mental capacity at the moment. After speaking to my therapist, we both agreed that I should not center my life around my job. However, it was hard for me, as I am a naturally driven person. But the burnout was exacerbating some of my mental health symptoms and affecting the quality of my life. So, work had to take a backseat.”

While speaking to the Observer, 40-year-old media executive Adam emphasized that a line must be drawn between laziness and quiet quitting. “There are lazy people, and then there are those employees who had to resort to quiet quitting due to circumstances.'

In his case, he decided to “quietly quit” a previous corporate job due to an unfair rewarding system. “I lost belief in the reward system. I stopped putting in as much effort. I went to work when I was expected and delivered the kind of performance that was expected of me. But nothing beyond that.” Adam added, though, that he didn't quit his post quietly until he thought he had gained all the necessary knowledge from it. He shared that he did not mind going above and beyond at the beginning of his employment.

“I was fine with doing a lot of things without extra [pay] because I was trying to build my credentials. Actually, it's what made it possible for me to land a better, higher-paying job.”