Employees under the age of 30-years-old are taking a stand and have vowed to do the "bare minimum" at their places of employment.
According to a new poll from recruiting company Robert Walters Recruitment, this new phenomenon is termed "quiet quitting".
This boom in "quiet quitting" as a silent movement could bring productivity in workplace environments to a halt, as 40% of employees under the age of 30 have begun "acting their wage," and could also impact a business' profitability in the future.
"Acting their wage" essentially means that employees are doing only what is required of them in their job positions; nothing more, nothing less. Almost half of workers younger than 30 do the “bare minimum” at their jobs, especially if they see no prospect of their wages increasing.
"They feel that they are grossly underpaid and as such, do the bare minimum; they don't go above and beyond their weight," says Samantha Jane Gravett, Director of Robert Walters Recruitment.
South African citizens are expected to make do with what they earn, even though the cost of living and the astronomical levels of inflation have not taken into account that salaries/wages currently being earned do not match the real life pricing of expenses that are necessary for survival.
The rising and simply unaffordable cost of living has bred a lack of motivation amongst young employees, but since it's better to be employed than unemployed (particularly within the current climate of unemployment regarding South Africa's youth), these employees have decided to avoid doing more than what is required in the job description, instead deciding to silently rebel.
The devastating impacts of inflation and the left-over results from the Covid-19 pandemic burdens low-income earners more than it does for those in positions above them. While entry-level employees may be struggling to afford certain expenses, those who are earning more will not feel the same strain.
Gravett also says that it's easy for managers to pull their employees up on lack of productivity, but unless they get to the bottom of the "why", then quiet quitting could well become an issue that will have a damaging effect on businesses.
Underpaying employees is not a new phenomenon, and older generations may view this new generation of working individuals as "entitled" for demanding that what they earn match the duties they fulfill, but these young employees feel that if they're going to paid "bottom dollar for their work, they should produce work of bottom dollar quality."
Gravett calls these individuals "slackers" and "under-performers", adding that others in the workforce have to take on what they are not willing to, creating an unpleasant environment. Although this may be annoying, isn't that the same thing "quiet quitters" are protesting?
The other employees "picking up the slack" from quiet quitters could lead to becoming overworked and eventually burnt out, adds Gravett. Why is the well-being of those employees valued over the quiet quitters, who may also have burnout from taking on extra responsibilities and duties?
The reality is that often times, an employee's duties, responsibilities and productivity goes way beyond the scope of the stipulated job requirements, and can lead to these employees being taken advantage of within their places of work.
Sometimes when entering a job, employees think that doing more than what is required of them will put them in the good graces of their employers and increase their value in the workforce, which they hope can eventually lead to promotions and/or raises.
But for most employees, the promotion and/or raise never arrives.
