Last week, I talked about the definition of “quiet quitting” as just having good boundaries, but what about people who are actually quietly quitting, being disengaged at work and doing just enough to get by?
If this is you, chances are good that you have a reason for your disengagement. Maybe you have poor leadership or the organization has terrible communication. You might never have your efforts recognized, or perhaps you lack the resources to do your job well. Maybe you never get feedback that is constructive instead of just criticism. You might have come to the realization that you can’t grow in the company, or that you’ve topped out in terms of pay. Or maybe you’re just paid badly and expected to work long or unpleasant hours! Whatever the reasons, it’s an unpleasant situation to be in.
But don’t worry, this happens to everyone at some point, and there are some steps you can take to fight it.
First, see if you can identify the main sources of your discontent. There may be one primary driver, or it may be a combination of things. There’s no right or wrong, but having a clear sense of what’s going on can help you find solutions to it.
Then, see if you can dig back in your memory and find a time you had a clear sense of mission or purpose, or you were more aware of doing things that met your customers’ needs. Knowing why you’re doing the work can help drive a clearer sense of purpose, though it may only be helpful in the short term.
If that feels good, try setting some challenges for yourself. Is there a department you’d like to get cross-trained in? A new piece of technology you want to get comfortable with? Leadership roles you want to learn more about?
Set goals for yourself, but make sure they’re things you want and can achieve. Give yourself deadlines, with the understanding that you can change those if you need to. And be sure to note your successes in this process! This is especially important if your colleagues aren’t recognizing your contributions. You can choose to celebrate yourself.
Find allies. These may be people in different departments, or they may be people outside the organization. All that matters is that they can give you good feedback and tips for navigating anything tricky.
Finally, you can also start looking for what’s next. Think about what you want, but also think about what you can contribute to a new place. You have lots of skills and abilities you may be under-playing, or things you think are easy but other people don’t. Really own those as you’re looking for what’s next! Update your resume, and quietly let your connections know you’re looking. Simply having an escape plan will probably make things feel more manageable, so hopefully things will feel better as you wrap things up.
And whatever you do, don’t feel guilty about these feelings! Disengagement is really common, and it’s rarely anyone’s fault. All you can do is look for what’s going to fulfill you next.
