Working only as much as assigned? ... There is also a 'Quiet Dismissal'

Company's 'Quiet Dismissal' Against Employee's 'Quiet Quitting'
Responding with Salary Freeze, Promotion Omission, and Deprivation of Growth Opportunities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seunggon Han] Kim, a late-20s office worker, has recently been skipping department meetings. It is not by his own will but by his supervisor's orders. Kim requested to attend the meetings through a consultation but was rejected. Kim revealed, "My supervisor said, 'You only want to work at the level of the salary you receive,'" adding, "They are only assigning me formal, simple tasks."

Recently, the concepts of 'work-life balance' known as 'Wolrabal' and 'Quiet Quitting,' which means 'working only at the level of your salary,' have intertwined, causing headaches for some companies. Companies want employees to be proactive in their work, but office workers are already preparing to leave before the end of working hours and show lukewarm responses to various project requests.

The Washington Post analyzed this as "showing that workers no longer pursue a lifestyle that prioritizes work over personal life and passionately engages in work."

Meanwhile, Reader's Digest described 'Quiet Quitting' as a way for workers to resist workaholism. The media noted that since workers only do assigned tasks and devote their remaining time to studies or childcare, it differs from 'laziness,' which relates to work attitude, and also differs from 'burnout syndrome,' which is due to excessive work, as it is a voluntary reduction of work.

Additionally, the political media outlet The Hill explained it as a characteristic of Generation Z, who no longer seek a 'dream job' but rather a 'job that can support their dreams.' They do not consider their current company as a lifelong workplace and tend to reserve their 'creativity' for their dreams instead of wasting it for the company.

In response to this situation, companies have introduced a countermeasure called 'Quiet Firing.' According to Forbes, signs of 'Quiet Firing' include freezing salaries for two consecutive years, missing promotions, depriving growth opportunities, and excluding employees from work feedback.

Andrew Lee, CEO and executive career consultant at Admovio, analyzed in a media interview that if a supervisor starts gathering materials related to a specific employee's project participation, it can be seen as preparing documents to support dismissal. For example, when an employee is not actively engaged and shows passive behavior, if the supervisor is preparing any documents related to that employee, it is likely to be negative documents. This can be seen as a kind of red flag.

Nevertheless, in some circles, 'Quiet Quitting' is commonly accepted among office workers as a way to enjoy a more comfortable life than promotion. Fortune emphasized communication between companies and workers, stating, "Companies should provide learning time and communicate with quiet quitters."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.