Why doing the bare minimum at work has gone global

[Eldorado]

Bartleby is back, although no doubt he would prefer not to be. This time, Herman Melville’s reluctant Wall Street scrivener has returned in the form of TikTokers who have embraced “quiet quitting”.

Rather than working late on a Friday evening, organising the annual team-building trip to Slough or volunteering to supervise the boss’s teenager on work experience, the quiet quitters are avoiding the above and beyond, the hustle culture mentality, or what psychologists call “occupational citizenship behaviours”.

Instead, they are doing just enough in the office to keep up, then leaving work on time and muting Slack. Then posting about it on social media.

UK Guardian

......global research for 2022 by Gallup showed that only nine per cent of workers in the UK were engaged or enthusiastic about their work.

That puts Britain 33rd out of 38 countries in Europe.

UK Telegraph

[Setton]

8 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

Bartleby is back, although no doubt he would prefer not to be. This time, Herman Melville’s reluctant Wall Street scrivener has returned in the form of TikTokers who have embraced “quiet quitting”.

Rather than working late on a Friday evening, organising the annual team-building trip to Slough or volunteering to supervise the boss’s teenager on work experience, the quiet quitters are avoiding the above and beyond, the hustle culture mentality, or what psychologists call “occupational citizenship behaviours”.

Instead, they are doing just enough in the office to keep up, then leaving work on time and muting Slack. Then posting about it on social media.

UK Guardian

......global research for 2022 by Gallup showed that only nine per cent of workers in the UK were engaged or enthusiastic about their work.

That puts Britain 33rd out of 38 countries in Europe.

UK Telegraph

It's almost like a global pandemic helped people realise there's more to life than making your boss richer.

[Eldorado]

20 minutes ago, Setton said:

It's almost like a global pandemic helped people realise there's more to life than making your boss richer.

Or our me,me,me world is fast running out of team players.

[Setton]

11 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

Or our me,me,me world is fast running out of team players.

Every boss I've come across who used the phrase 'tram player' meant 'work for free' or 'break the rules'.

[Knob Oddy]

I can see doing the bare minimum if it's a dead end job.

Any chance of promotion or upskilling then you should be striving for it. Doing the bare minimum will not get you promoted. Just for your own mental state of mind, you should always be striving for more challenges 

[spartan max2]

 I'm not working beyond the 40 hours I am paid to work . I don't work for free.

[TashaMarie]

13 minutes ago, Eldorado said:

Or our me,me,me world is fast running out of team players.

When I worked for my local council's children's contact centre, my entire team went above and beyond not because our managers expected it, but because we were dealing with children's safety. I would arrive at work over an hour early and was content to stay late; I attended meetings for my boss, trained new employees, skipped breaks, and shortened my lunches. That didn't stop upper management from relocating the position to a different city and expecting me to add another two hours to my workday. When it comes to *saving money," I've learned that no matter how hard you work or what you sacrifice for the job, it's never enough or good enough.  I don't blame people for putting their health first as long as they are doing the job they applied for why should they take on more?

[Knob Oddy]

2 minutes ago, TashaMarie said:

When I worked for my local council's children's contact centre, my entire team went above and beyond not because our managers expected it, but because we were dealing with children's safety. I would arrive at work over an hour early and was content to stay late; I attended meetings for my boss, trained new employees, skipped breaks, and shortened my lunches. That didn't stop upper management from relocating the position to a different city and expecting me to add another two hours to my workday. When it comes to *saving money," I've learned that no matter how hard you work or what you sacrifice for the job, it's never enough or good enough.  I don't blame people for putting their health first as long as they are doing the job they applied for why should they take on more?

Did you quit? Or do the extra hours?

I personally would have used this as an opportunity. If I was training staff and doing some management duties, when the 2 extra hours were demanded it would be an ideal time to renegotiate pay rates. 

And if you were so irreplaceable, you could double your wages.

 

One more employment tip: Dont make yourself irreplaceable, otherwise you cannot be promoted 

[TashaMarie]

1 minute ago, Knob Oddy said:

Did you quit? Or do the extra hours?

I personally would have used this as an opportunity. If I was training staff and doing some management duties, when the 2 extra hours were demanded it would be an ideal time to renegotiate pay rates. 

And if you were so irreplaceable, you could double your wages.

 

One more employment tip: Dont make yourself irreplaceable, otherwise you cannot be promoted 

The whole team refused to go, we were given a redundancy like payment and I moved on to a job with better pay.  

[Myles]

25 minutes ago, Setton said:

Every boss I've come across who used the phrase 'tram player' meant 'work for free' or 'break the rules'.

That is not my experience.   Working as a team to get the things done that needs to be done is a good thing.  Hourly get paid overtime and salary typically make enough money to justify doing extra.

[Duke Wellington]

I personally try, then do almost nothing, like a yo-yo.

If HR have a focus on keeping people motivated it gets you training, interesting tasks, bonuses, promotions, and pay rises. But a word of advice, never be irreplaceable as KO has pointed out. 

If you do too much, or are too specialised, you are trapped. Also be loud, be opinionated, and speak your mind all the time. Even if you can see expressions on peoples face that says be quiet or your contribution are unwelcome. It will get your seen as promotion material.

[acidhead]

Create your own business if you are unhappy working for somebody else.

[Knob Oddy]

20 minutes ago, acidhead said:

Create your own business if you are unhappy working for somebody else.

Generally you gain the skills you need to start a business by working for someone else in the industry.

For example,, you can't start a construction company unless you've been trained how to build.

But its great advice to those who have skills and are unhappy with employment opportunities.

Otherwise, its a good trolling comment 

[Silver]

It seems like the private sector is at last learning from the public sector! Since we don't have to show a profit (hey, we are spending money, not making it!), we have always had a more relaxed attitude to work. And since our employment conditions are the gold standard, we just have to hang on to take retirement at age 55 with an index-linked pension.

Don't knock public sector workers, all workers should enjoy the same standards. Mick Lynch is showing the way for private sector workers. Why should people who were not born into wealthy families not enjoy some of the benefits of living in one of the richest countries in the world?

[Setton]

1 hour ago, Myles said:

That is not my experience.   Working as a team to get the things done that needs to be done is a good thing. 

You're missing the nuance between 'working as a team' and the kind of bosses who will say 'you need to be a team player'. 

One of my biggest red flags. Because they don't mean be a team player, they mean do whatever they say, no questions asked, regardless of whether you're paid for it, safe to do it or if it's even legal.

Quote

Hourly get paid overtime and salary typically make enough money to justify doing extra.

Maybe in the US. Not so in the UK or Europe, which is the board we're in.

When I was working as a teacher, the hours I was expected to work meant I was being paid less than minimum wage per hour. The headteacher then wanted me to copy out the online grades matrix by hand for every child in one night because 'she doesn't like computers'. That was the last boss to tell me to 'be a team player' and she had my resignation next day.

[L.A.T.1961]

4 minutes ago, Setton said:

 

When I was working as a teacher, the hours I was expected to work meant I was being paid less than minimum wage per hour. The headteacher then wanted me to copy out the online grades matrix by hand for every child in one night because 'she doesn't like computers'. That was the last boss to tell me to 'be a team player' and she had my resignation next day.

Isn't that what you get when teachers are in charge of teachers ?  A school is a small business and teachers are not trained to run a business but teach.  

Anyhow we may be bottom of the class when it comes to enthusiasm but the Chinese have already passed their exams and left. 

Elon Musk’s Tesla factory workers sleeping on-site and working 12-hour shifts six days a week.

https://fortune.com/2022/05/10/elon-musk-tesla-shanghai-plant-workers-sleeping-on-site-working-12-hour-shifts-six-days-a-week/

 

That's what Marxism looks like China style. 

[Only_]

There is sense of ''entitlement'' in younger people. Everything needs to be easy, fast and convenient. Or else they become lazy.

They seek more meaning in life but are not willing do the work, inner or outer.  But there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The pandemic gave us the impression that we don't need to work to put bread on the table. Governments distributed fat cheques and people could watch Netflix all day while waiting for their Amazon package and Uber eats.

It will be difficult to reverse that trend. I think that's why more and more politicians will be advocating for automation, AI and UBI. We are facing some major crises ahead.

Edited August 7, 2022 by Only_

[spartan max2]

1 hour ago, Only_ said:

There is sense of ''entitlement'' in younger people. Everything needs to be easy, fast and convenient. Or else they become lazy.

They seek more meaning in life but are not willing do the work, inner or outer.  But there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The pandemic gave us the impression that we don't need to work to put bread on the table. Governments distributed fat cheques and people could watch Netflix all day while waiting for their Amazon package and Uber eats.

It will be difficult to reverse that trend. I think that's why more and more politicians will be advocating for automation, AI and UBI. We are facing some major crises ahead.

Nope. Young people are simply practicing and enforcing healthy boundaries. Its commendable. 

Perhaps we learned from seeing how employers drained our parents.

Let's read the article

Quote

Rather than working late on a Friday evening, organising the annual team-building trip to Slough or volunteering to supervise the boss’s teenager on work experience, the quiet quitters are avoiding the above and beyond, the hustle culture mentality, or what psychologists call “occupational citizenship behaviours”.

Instead, they are doing just enough in the office to keep up, then leaving work on time and muting Slack. Then posting about it on social media.

I see no problem with the bolded. As the un-bolded is unpaid time. 

If I am doing something work related I expect to be paid. 

Some of you see the youth mentality as lazy. I see it as brave. 

Edited August 8, 2022 by spartan max2

[Setton]

8 hours ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

 A school is a small business and teachers are not trained to run a business but teach. 

And most managers are trained to run a business?

[Grey Area]

This is on managers and on education and law, plain and simple.

Managers should be able to inspire and care for the staff under them.  They need to be able to sell the company dream to their staff and be the kind of person you want to impress by going the extra mile.  The manager then needs to notice the good work and acknowledge it.  Of course some sectors have simply no admirable qualities, sales call centres spring to mind.

Then there is the issue where, staff, particularly management are recruited on the basis of their education qualifications and past performance, and not on their character and life experience .  Partly employment and equality law is responsible for this, the list of questions an interviewer cannot ask is a mile long so as not to offend.

[odas]

11 hours ago, Only_ said:

There is sense of ''entitlement'' in younger people. Everything needs to be easy, fast and convenient. Or else they become lazy.

They seek more meaning in life but are not willing do the work, inner or outer.  But there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The pandemic gave us the impression that we don't need to work to put bread on the table. Governments distributed fat cheques and people could watch Netflix all day while waiting for their Amazon package and Uber eats.

It will be difficult to reverse that trend. I think that's why more and more politicians will be advocating for automation, AI and UBI. We are facing some major crises ahead.

No, there is no sense of "entitlement" among young people, but there is a sense of "shove your olden ways up your..." I am 56 and I see the young generation as standing up for themself, their health, their family. And, they are not lazy. They work just as hard as I used to but only smarter. I also used to believe in "team player". Bunch of BS that they tried to inforce when I was a teenager and later in my 20's. 

As for automation, well two things: Automats will not buy food, cars, chairs, concert tickets......who you gonna sell it to? Second, the young generation will eventually come up with something because...they ARE smarter than my generation, we just don't want to admit it.

[L.A.T.1961]

6 hours ago, Setton said:

And most managers are trained to run a business?

Believe it or not.  

The complaint most often leveled at private enterprise, run by a tier system of managers and especially at times like these, is they make too much money and then don't give it all away. 

They are too well managed for their own good. 

 

[odas]

17 hours ago, L.A.T.1961 said:

Isn't that what you get when teachers are in charge of teachers ?  A school is a small business and teachers are not trained to run a business but teach.  

Anyhow we may be bottom of the class when it comes to enthusiasm but the Chinese have already passed their exams and left. 

Elon Musk’s Tesla factory workers sleeping on-site and working 12-hour shifts six days a week.

https://fortune.com/2022/05/10/elon-musk-tesla-shanghai-plant-workers-sleeping-on-site-working-12-hour-shifts-six-days-a-week/

 

That's what Marxism looks like China style. 

It is not marxism, it is an atempt on early capitalism you know like capitalism was in the early stages before unions and laws.

In ex Yugoslavija your paycheck was realy conected to the companies profit (yes, most domestic companies were in the hand of the state but they also had business' in foreign countries like Energoinvest. My wife used to work for them in accounting. Pay was great, work life balance, vacation.... times were really good. Yes, my father made more money in Germany but he also worked more, missed out on all the familly gatherings...and at the end he has not more savings just less memories than the people who stayed. But he was old style, work, work, work. For what?

 

[kartikg]

20 hours ago, Knob Oddy said:

I can see doing the bare minimum if it's a dead end job.

Any chance of promotion or upskilling then you should be striving for it. Doing the bare minimum will not get you promoted. Just for your own mental state of mind, you should always be striving for more challenges 

You can challenge yourself outside of work. 

[Eldorado]

Related news...

Liz Truss says British workers need ‘more graft’ and lack ‘skill and application’ of foreign rivals

In a leaked recording, first revealed by The Guardian, Ms Truss suggested British employees lack the “skill and application” of foreign rivals and need “more graft”.

Her words have echoes of those contained in a book she co-authored a decade ago.

That labelled British workers among the “worst idlers in the world”.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/liz-truss-said-british-workers-need-more-graft-and-lack-skill-and-application-of-foreign-rivals/ar-AA10JJIe?