Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by peanut_worm 1364 days ago
How is doing your job description “quiet quitting”? I thought it meant doing nothing at all or much less than what is expected. This feels like propaganda.
2 comments

It is absolutely part of a propaganda campaign. Workers are more and more tired of the work options and expectations being presented to us, and are talking about it publicly more, trying to figure out what else is possible or change the dynamics some.

Plus a lot of people just died which at least somewhat shifts the balance of power towards workers. This whole quiet quitting propaganda campaign, as well as I think the related "return to office" one, is intended as a threat: "The expectations are the same, the conditions will not change, and you will accept it."

I though the definition was "doing the bare minimum", which could be your job description or less if they let you.

On a side note, with all the fantastical language used in job descriptions these days I sort of doubt anyone knows what the actual metrics/standard or bare minimum is. I know I don't.

The fantastical language is deliberate. The more obfuscated the job description the more than can con you into doing things you weren't hired to do.

Though it's been years since I've been in the market, many (most?) job postings had "and other duties as required" at the bottom for this very reason.

Yeah sure, but the issue with many jobs is that they expect you to do all that and be happy and positive about it as well. They don't just want your labor for a fixed set of time, they want you.

They want you to treat them like family while they reserve the right to treat you like a number.

The thing with acting your wage (as quiet quitting should better be called) is that many employers just don't deserve any better. If you have the rare luck of working in a company that really treats it's employees well, your employees certainly will not be too accurate about what their contract says and what is exludeded.

But if you are one of those companies that fired people during a global pandemic and expect loyalty, you don't have a good understanding how societies work.