One of the major narratives about excelling in your career is that those who go above and beyond at work are the ones who go the furthest. However, many younger workers have grown disenchanted with that notion after seeing that it is not always true.

It has led many to question why they are pushing themselves to the brink for no extra gain, and has developed into a trend that The Wall Street Journal reports as “quiet quitting.”

While it’s nice to imagine all your extra effort is appreciated and will be rewarded eventually, the truth is that it may often be taken for granted. Sometimes when you show you are capable of doing even more, all that happens is that becomes the new standard that you are held to.

Meanwhile, you were probably going the extra mile hoping for a bonus, a raise, or a promotion.

Quite quitting counters this with a philosophy of basically only doing what you need to do at the job and nothing more. Workers are feeling like if they are going to be paid the same regardless, then why do more?

Though the workers who spoke to the WSJ make it clear this is not laziness, as they still get done everything they are assigned and get positive feedback. They just aren’t volunteering to stay late and do more.

Worker Clayton Farris articulates the mindset, saying, “The most interesting part about it is nothing’s changed.” He elaborates how he is not slacking off, but rather leaving himself energy for his home life. “I still work just as hard. I still get just as much accomplished. I just don’t stress and internally rip myself to shreds.”

Critics of this strategy warn that those who get too complacent should not be surprised if they are laid off once the job market becomes less favorable to employees. This is a valid point, as companies are savvy enough to use programs like keyloggers to see how much you are really doing on their computers.

However, advocates for this lifestyle assure that they are still productive, just not over-productive. Market-research director Josh Bittinger phrased it as “I get my job done, my projects done. I’m performing well and I get good feedback.” But by dialing back on overachieving, he says, “And I’m able to still take time to just step away from everything.”

Do you feel like people who are quiet quitting might be onto something? Learn more about this mentality through The Wall Street Journal article here.

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GMA looks at the Quiet Quitting trend where employees do the minimum required at their jobs leaving more energy to focus on outside activities and family.

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