On a Sunday evening, Ken* was in traffic, driving home to Gbagada from a work meeting in Lekki, Lagos, when he sent a Whatsapp voice note, finally responding to a question I had asked the previous week: “as an employer and team lead, what are your thoughts on quiet quitting?”. It was quite the perfect timing to share his thoughts on the subject.
His response: “It’s essentially the wrong attitude to work. Every employer actually focuses on the extra, just like the employee looks forward to the bonuses and perks. If I employ you to do the barest minimum, then I expect that the work standards are also done to the barest minimum only. And no successful business is run that way. The right employees latch on to the company’s vision and do every bit to progress the company. Doing the barest minimum is the fastest way out of the role”.
Over the past weeks, the term “quiet quitting” gained momentum and stirred conversations on social media. The comments majorly have been from employees themselves, with many supporting the motion that “work does not have to be your entire life”. I wanted to hear from the point of view of founders, team leads, and employers of labor, and Ken (a process analyst and team lead in a fintech company in Lagos) was willing to talk to me.
His opinions stand opposite to what the majority of employees are saying about the subject, and it makes our conversation absorbing. It is why I wanted to hear from an employer’s point of view in the first place, to hear the other side of the argument in detail. The majority of employees maintain that quiet quitting simply means they are working: turning up at work every day to do exactly what they are supposed to do —not more, and not less.
How “quiet quitting” became a recent trend
In July, Zaid Khan, a New York engineer made a Tiktok video that popularized the concept. In the video, he described it this way: “you’re not quitting your job, you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond at work. You are still performing your duties, but you are no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentally that work has to be our life”. While Zaid Khan only popularized the concept and made it a trend, “quiet quitting” has its origin in a 2021 Chinese movement tagged tang ping —laying flat, which has the same argument as its evolved term.
Khan’s video sparked a social media conversation that transcended days, and beneath all the comments, there is the belief that Gen Zs are the major proponents of this movement. While this may be true, it slurs into a prior argument that Gen Zs are rejecting hard work and are all about the soft life.
But is just Gen Zs though? Well, while employees across all age brackets will avoid burnout and simply stick to their jobs, Gen Zs are known to be quite vocal and revolutionary about work ethics which makes them easily labeled as major champions of quiet quitting. Zaid Khan himself, who popularized the concept is a 24 year old.
What other bosses are saying about “quiet quitting”
Ken continued by saying: “Generally, the Nigerian employee gives just the barest minimum at work. They don’t give 100% value at work. However, this is because the system and living conditions in the country do not make it any easy.” And if this is the case, he says, then doing only the barest minimum is not the right attitude to work. If it requires you to work beyond 9 am to 5 pm or go the extra mile in getting a task done, then do it!
Interestingly, Ken’s opinions are shared by other Nigerians in top positions though. I asked two other persons and they gave responses:
Adesina, Agrictech CEO: “Well, in the modern-day work structure, if you look at it critically, we can say that 60% of employees will not work more than their job description and will not do more than what is required of them, maybe due to economic factors which puts them in that situation. But for you to be seen as a competent employee, you must be ready to do beyond what you are employed to do. It is a necessary condition in appraisal. You are fit for the next role based on your ability to do beyond what you are given to do. I do not support it and I see it as an approach that does not prepare you for more challenging roles. When you don’t do more than what you are expected to do, you are just an average person and no better than anybody outside the door”.
Naomi, HR Executive: “First, I think you are being paid for a job and you have your job descriptions. I’m an HR personnel and also an employee, and I’d advise you to stick to your job descriptions and put your full stop. If you’re going to burn out on a particular job, make sure you are the CEO because in most cases you won’t get rewarded for the extra you are doing. In another way, however, it could also be bad. You’re definitely not going to be working alone, so if you are quiet quitting, you should consider other people on the team. Give people a chance to do things, but learn boundaries. Don’t start what you can’t finish; once you start to put in an extra effort, you have to see it through to the end”
Ken’s final words came through a phone call after he got home that night. He had been to Lekki to meet with top clients and close business deals because that was the only day he could get the job done. There are days he’s had to send and reply to emails at unofficial hours.
“…and that’s because those are the only times I could get the job done”, he says.
“Employers of labor are looking to get the best value from their employees, the same way employees are looking to get great work benefits and perks from the companies they work for. Everyone has their basic work descriptions and work hours, but what makes an employee stand out and get rewards for results is the extra he or she puts into the job. No successful business becomes a success between the hours of 9 to 5 or by just doing the barest minimum. If the barest minimum is all you can give, then you won’t help the company and you do not belong here”.
One question still stands: why is quiet quitting on the rise? Does the answer lie with Gen Zs? Or is it a result of living and working conditions in the country? Well, since the movement is not peculiar to Nigeria —it did not even start here— we may decide to take out the latter and just ask the Zoomers: why the hell are you guys quiet quitting?