Are you aware of this phrase- quietly quitting? If you are employed I suspect that you’ve heard it. Maybe if you are recently retired, or coming up to that momentous decision you’ve also heard it. Maybe, secretly perhaps, you are in the midst of your own quiet quitting journey…I had no idea what this was until about 8 months ago. It was definitely a new phrase to me so I had to dig deeper.
Why quietly quit?
In an online article published in Psychology Today I found some answers. Author Kimberly Quinn PhD describes quietly quitting as “a phrase that has most recently been used to describe employees who have trimmed their daily work tasks to those that are solely part of their job descriptions. No more and no less. There is no more going above and beyond because, well, they no longer care.”
Dr. Quinn notes that employees are simply “going through the motions” while actively being “detached from the workplace.” By the time I had read those first few paragraphs I realized I had been an active quiet quitter for one full year before I retired from my healthcare job. So what is it that drives this need to give up, to stop caring? How about unrealistic expectations from an employer; an unmanageable workload; not feeling appreciated for what you do or having no personal connection or agency in your tasks, and not being compensated adequately for what you bring to your position.
Dr. Quinn’s article had just described my attitude during that final year to a T!
Healthcare jobs have multiple stressors associated with them. Add to that a full year of Covid related stress. Working for a large national medical system that contracted its employees to fill positions in major hospital and clinic settings- I label that a double corporate whammy– was often challenging. I’ve worked in some form of healthcare my entire adult life and of course there were ups and downs, but honestly I had never encountered a full load of corporate policy hitting like a ton of bricks all at once. My love of working in healthcare was motivated by the people- the patients I worked with, some for years and others only for a brief time. To me, my patients always came first.
When everything is too much…
My quiet quitting journey began as it became apparent that my patients were no longer the top priority within the system I worked for. There isn’t enough space in this post to delve into all the whys and hows. The bottom line is that I saw my patients as being devalued. The patients that I worked with everyday had always mattered, and had always been front and center. As more and more dictates came down from corporate it became clear that what mattered overall had changed.
Being directed to abandon patient centered care and move to profit centered care left me needing to make some major decisions. At first I adamantly refused to buy into the new normal. I rebelled for a while. I wondered if I could stick it out as each week a new directive came down. It didn’t take me long at all to know that I couldn’t stick it out. At the same time I simply gave up. I was overwhelmed with what I saw and experienced. For over 9 months I did exactly as much as Dr Quinn wrote about: only what was absolutely needed to serve each patient, each day. I followed the changing corporate policies. I worked only to meet production goals. I did my job while watching the best parts of our program be taken away. I went through the motions. But the hardest and saddest part was that I still cared about my patients and I cared about the amazing staff I was privileged to work with. I couldn’t turn off how much they mattered to me. It was time to leave and I chose retirement as my path.
The impact spreads out…
My immediate supervisor came up against an immovable brick wall herself. She ended up leaving about 4 months before I did. With no one to replace her, and a temporary manager only able to be reached by phone, I made the decision to go back to what I knew and what my patients and our program needed. I allowed myself to care and to take a vested interest in running the program the right way, with patients at the forefront. I ultimately knew what was to come after I left, but in a strange moment of freedom I remember thinking “What are they going to do…fire me?”
As I was writing this post I happened upon this quote that speaks to the disservice and harm I realize I was laying on myself, not just the patients: “Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you” -Katie Reed.
In the end, finding purpose and meaning…
So I went to work each day for the few remaining months focused solely on my patients, who were always the priority to me, without realizing at the time that I was giving myself a gift as well. It simply felt like the right thing to do for them. I left that job knowing that I had done the best that I could for those who mattered most but I also came away with a sense of accomplishment and peace. That made it so much easier to step away without regret or the need to carry hard feelings about a job that I had truly loved doing.
Quinn, Kimberly. “Quietly Quitting.” Psychology Today, 5 Nov. 2022, https://doi.org/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/optimized/202211/quietly-quitting.
The Heart of the Matter 
Wow, you have just explained quiet quitting to me in away that I didn’t understand before. Whoa -profit centered care instead of patient centered care sounds like such a succinct way to describe the wrong thing to do. I love that you had those months to go back to the right way before leaving!
What a great post, Deb! It seems like the worst part in the quiet quitting movement might be giving up caring. Thanks for giving a voice to what isn’t working!
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Yes Wynne, the loss of caring about what always mattered was a struggle. These were people, not random companies without names or faces. I could never believe I was serving my patients well had I still been tasked to give up everything that made the job feel purposeful and needed.
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Insightful blog post Deb. This is a well researched blog post about “Quitting Quietly” and it sure does answer all the questions like “Why do you quit quietly”? What causes one to quit quietly?
Also, the online article titled ” Psychology of today” does tell one the reasons why people quit their day jobs. It can be not being appreciated for what you bring to the table or not being compensated enough for the work you do. Those are solid reasons why a person can quit quietly.
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Thank you for reading today.
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You are welcome🙏🙏
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Such a powerful post Deb, really capturing the essence of what quiet quitting is and wrapping it up in your own examples. I certainly feel saddened that an organisation that should be focused on customer/patient care could be so ruthless and driven by corporate greed. I can understand why you felt disengaged and that your employers weren’t honouring the ethical standards you expected and prevented you from living up to your own professional standards. I’m glad that you were able to stand your ground a bit before you finally retired, which I’m sure would have given you more piece of mind/peace of mind when you left.
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This was my second time with this company, having worked part-time for a short period with them years prior. Perhaps I was naive the first time around, perhaps not as I know a major restructuring was happening when I rejoined the group. A horrible decision in my opinion, but something that happens all too often I think Brenda. Somehow I never expected this in healthcare, hoping there was a greater level of morality. I have a rebellious side, which showed itself clearly at the end and I am so glad I didn’t simply walk away without my own personal fight 🙂 Thank you for your comments this morning.
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You’re welcome. Studying and teaching HR, I tend to focus on theory; what should happen. It always saddens and angers me when companies don’t live up to the potential of what can be achieved. That imbalance is something we usually have heated discussions about in class … the ideals v the reality
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I can imagine some lively discussion in your classrooms! I would love to be a part of those for some reality checks of my own 😉
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Brava, Deb! This is an important statement, and you have presented it well.
I was in independent practice as a clinical psychologist for most of my career. The changes within the helping professions over the last decade or so are deeply troubling. Speaking to the M.D.s, psychologists, and social workers with whom I remain in contact, they have sometimes been worn to a nub.
The bottom line pressure was already there early in this century but has worsened. Additionally, practitioners are still dealing with the residual impact of COVID-19, the life changes that remain, the absence of work friends among those who work almost exclusively from their home computer, and an aging population with multiple physical challenges even when they are considered “healthy and functional.”
The growing research in the treatment of illness has become a double-edged sword. On one side, medicine can perform more miracles than ever. Conversely, medical specialization is required because no practitioner can know everything about every disease. Thus, patients are sent from one specialist to another, must reckon with the difficulty of getting timely appointments, and usually are without a team of professionals working together. This is especially true for older adults who suffer multiple maladies. They often feel lost in a gigantic system.
Therapists tell me that people are coming to them with unprecedented worries over the planet’s future, not to mention the preservation of the U.S. as a democratic republic.
Healthcare professionals try, as you did, to do their very best. We all need to pull for them and the people they serve.
Thank you again, Deb.
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Oh my goodness Dr. Stein, you have knocked me over this morning with your comment. You speak such truth not only from your standpoint in the healthcare system but by giving voice to the ethical, moral and personal decisions so many providers face. I am also in that aging population group, so far healthy, but absolutely am looking to the navigational factors surrounding my own healthcare as the years progress. I come up on the Medicare challenge in a bit more than 1 year- there is already anxiety over that! I can clearly imagine the struggles so many must be facing in their personal lives but also as members of the human race- seeing how and sadly what so many are ignoring about our future, and even more for me, my children/grandchildren’s futures. We have lost so many talented, caring and truly wonderful people because they see and feel no hope for the systems in place. It is hard, maybe impossible actually, to really imagine where we go from here. You have added such valuable insight today with your comment and it is so appreciated. Thank you!
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Have you heard the story behind Zappos? I think you would have been at home their. Their then CEO , Tony Hsieh, said “We want to make sure that employees aren’t here just for paychecks and truly believe this is the right place for them.” They had a 2 week orientation for employees, at the end of which they offered these new hires $2,000 to LOUDLY LEAVE 🙃 Yes, after investing more than a week in the new employees, Zappos wanted to make sure they had the Debs of the world who truly cared and if the new hires were feeling like they made the wrong choice in signing on with Zappos, if they felt more inclined to just be there for the paycheck, we’ll, here’s a check to go find their happiness elsewhere. Tony Hsieh, the spirit behind Zappos, said they were all about Delivering Happiness. They were a shoe company.
Can you imagine the zest, the enthusiasm, the joy of working in a company committed to Delivering Happiness, with employees all equally committed to that mission statement?
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While I know Zappos, I had not heard that story EW! Thank you for sharing 🙂 Would it not be amazing if more companies actually took this POV? My company never seemed to flinch with the constant revolving door of employees coming and going, also never picking up on the fact that they were investing so much time and money in rehiring, retraining and then losing one after another instead of finding the right people to begin with. I never would have lasted in corporate America, that was clear.
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One of, if not my first non carpentry jobs, was nursing. They had it broken down to the second, every task and sub task. For efficiency. Items of patients were inducted into tge raffle often before bodies were cold. I recognise admin arguments, but I was there for the human element. I quit quiet, no fanfare.
Now Sp. Ed? I quit loud.
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That sounds horrid! Speaking about administration- I remember watching folks who had started as staff, just like myself, as they moved up the levels. The transformations were obvious and they were falling into the same game playing and roles of those who had never encountered real patient care- the business folk of the company who had no understanding that healthcare is about people. I would honestly never tell anyone to go into healthcare today if you want to serve another human being but all means if it’s about money…and advancement, and leaving authenticity behind… then jump with both feet. Thank you for adding your POV to our discussion today 🙂
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Maybe best to avoid corporate jobs altogether.
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A resounding yes to that! I am thankful that work is behind now, but if it wasn’t I would look for the smallest business I could find- perhaps a lovely used bookstore with a few cats sleeping on comfortable chairs 😉
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That does sound good.
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Lovely post, Deb. The quiet quitting phrase became a trend during the pandemic as burnout reached an overwhelming breaking point for people around the world.
I think it’s wise to be more focused in your work and to prioritize your personal capacity on your core functions. It reduces burnout and makes you a better employee – and goes a long way in maintaining work life balance so there’s still enough of you left to enjoy your life outside of work.
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It was so odd to see that phrase for the first time and then find that it screamed out DEB in such a loud manner! I knew I was doing all those things, but didn’t have a way to describe my very poor outlook and attitude. I can imagine how the pandemic set the process into greater motion, although I suppose the whole concept of quiet quitting isn’t new? Honestly Ab, it was empowering at the end to simply say no and do what I knew was right until I could walk out the door for the last time…
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Thank you for all of this, Deb…your candor and heartfelt focus on those who were in your care…despite the obstacles in front of you. It’s a story that fills me up this morning because of your resolve and strength to find a way to navigate, as best you could, despite the “immovable brick walls”. 💕
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Thank you Vicki! This last career gave me insight into a world that I only knew about on the fringes. It was actually frightening at times to realize that our leadership really had no idea what we were doing in our jobs everyday, how we functioned, what we provided… all the while making decisions about patient care and our responsibility to “grow the company”. I was not going out without a fight 😉
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Cheers and love to you! 🥰
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Great post Deb! Spot on! When companies show employees that they don’t really matter, the end result is employees who react accordingly. I like how you phrased it as self-care. The way to cure this is completely in leaders hands. Make their actions match their words. Put customers and employees first. Until then, employees are wise to look after their own health. Thanks for sharing!
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I learned to handle a lot of the ways the company treated employees, but it was a different story once that devaluation was turned on the patients. That was a final straw for me, but it also made me see the impact mentally and physically their changes were having on me as well. Some things just aren’t worth going through hell for everyday. I miss my patients, but I also needed to think of myself at this time as well. Thanks for reading Brian 🙂
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Good for you those last several months! (like what were they going to do, fire you?) I’m guessing Most of the people who enter the health care professions initially do it because they DO care about people and want to make a tangible difference in their lives…. if a person gets to that place of burnt out, then they need to find a different job. I have not given a lot of thought on this topic, but remember talking/ (or reading) about when things changed…someone (maybe it was even you) told me they noticed the change when the “suits” were put in charge (they 30 somethings took over…their sole focus was profit. ) Makes me wish every last one of them would have to spend a month in the hospital as a patient… You sometimes hear that happening to grumpy old Doctors or nurses that suddenly find themselves on the receiving end of medical care…and the change of heart that it wrought. Would you say your still burnt out or has your heart healed? Not even sure that question makes sense. Nothing more precious than a caring medical person. I’ve encountered several recently. It’s palatable. You know within a minute whether you’re dealing with someone who is caring or cooked.
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Doug, I think people still do enter healthcare professions because they truly see a need and want to help people with physical and emotional issues. Some get so caught up in their patients lives that takes a toll on them in itself. Others, as they are earmarked to advance sometimes have little choice but to adopt the business/corporate philosophy or leave. A smaller group loses their way and totally buys into profit over patients and those are the ones that make valuable staff depart plus giving healthcare a sinister and awful reputation. Of course healthcare is a business, but it has gotten so big that the real purpose has been lost I think.
Leaving the way I did, knowing I didn’t let my patients or program down made a huge difference to my personal attitude on my last day. I remember walking out and feeling sad and a bit lost that I really wasn’t coming back but knowing I made the right decision. I do sometimes wonder what has happened to the program since, but I don’t dwell on it.
I appreciate you and your thoughtful response to this post 🙂
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Believe it or not, I have multiple stories from the patient or kin of patient side where I witnessed things that fall directly in line with what you’re saying from the other end. Here in Canada. One day I may be able to share things, but for now, all I know is that corporate greed screws up everything tenfold.
I understand the term quietly quitting on multiple levels.
I’m happy you found a new life now in retirement, and are able to share hindsight moments with your online tribe. 💜
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I’m sure you, and so many others have stories- both positive and negative. I’ve been on both sides as a patient as well and not done a very good job holding my tongue at times, but always trying to sincerely say thank you to the great ones.
A little secret– that phrase of quietly quitting can encompass many life situations, not just business and careers. Things like relationships perhaps 😉 So true for me in so many respects.
I am truly enjoying this growing online tribe! I am hoping that you have thought more about staying around the community…I believe the time was coming soon for a change and while I respect whatever decisions you feel are right, you are one of the tribe that adds so much to these spaces in so many ways.
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Wise words indeed.
I don’t want to leave blogging altogether, I just want to separate the blogging and the business streams onto different platforms.
Maybe. I don’t know, I’m still contemplating. 😊
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YES, I see hope there…keep contemplating as I know I am not the only one who wants you to stick around Claudette 🙂
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What an important topic you have addressed, Deb. Over the past few years, I have understood more thoroughly what it means to “quietly quit.” I’m one of the aging population whom has a lot of anxiety over my care (or lack of care) as well as family and friends’ health care. Nobody I talk to lately has any faith in their healthcare system, no matter where they live in the U.S., and it’s creating so much stress for all of us. My primary care physician, who I had for over 25 years left the health care corporation where he was employed and started a concierge private medical practice. It would cost me $2300.00 a year to join him. He still charges copays and bills insurance. The yearly fee is to get what we used receive from our family doctors without having to pay a yearly fee. For a husband and wife it would be $4600.00 per year. Several of the best doctors in my area have left, retired or went into concierge practice as well, because of the overwhelming stress that they were under. I miss the care I used to get, when patients and our health were the #1 focus. I have a new doctor but my care leaves so much to be desired and I often wonder if following my former PC into his concierge practice would be worth for me.
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Nancy, welcome to the blog! Thank you for adding your comment and concerns to our discussion. Aging seems to come with many changes and concerns doesn’t it? I personally think that healthcare shouldn’t be one of those things that has to occupy our time and thoughts. I feel fortunate to be healthy and so far need little more than an annual checkup, but of course we have no way to predict what may come. I empathize with you on these hard decisions and directions we have to debate. I know we have a large number of the concierge practices popping up but the costs are prohibitive for so many I believe, on top of Medicare and other insurance premiums. Researching options is imperative, and talking with those we trust if we have questions. While it’s an entirely different topic, I often ponder where our healthcare system will be in another 10 or 20 years… Hope you continue to read and add your own wisdom to our posts 🙂
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I saw the changes coming in education too but was still putting students first as much as possible. I could never quietly quit because they needed me to give them 100%. However, I did distance myself somewhat as I realized that I would be leaving at the end of the year. I didn’t allow myself to get as close to students as I would have in the past. I couldn’t talk to them about what fun things we would learn next year or what cool activities we would do in French Club when I wasn’t going to be around. After 37 years, it felt weird. Yet it also helped me transition better (not perfectly) to retirement.
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I really can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you after 37 years. That’s a lifetime of giving of yourself to those kids and you don’t just stop feeling all the things and turn everything off. Clearly, because I know first hand that many of your students are still a part of your life that you made a huge impact on them. That is an amazing legacy to have as an educator- to also be their friend 🙂
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Hi Margaret, this post also made me think of my work in education. Congratulations on your retirement. And thank you for your awesome years of service! ❤️
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Personally, I find the whole quiet quitting thing very interesting. I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with working the hours you’re paid for and doing the job you’re paid to do. I don’t believe any employer has the right to expect more than that. I have been doing that for years since a cancer diagnosis made me realize what really matters in life. The statement I disagree with is the piece about not caring. I care about my job at lot. I’m just not willing to prioritize it over my health or my family. If that’s not good enough, so be it. They can feel free to show me the door.
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Michelle, I totally agree that you enter into a contract with your employer based on expected work load and a fair amount you will be compensated. It is when extras begin to be added without either any change in compensation or with the attitude from the corporation that you will simply do what they ask that brings about the sense of being devalued. I also thing, at least in my situation, the lack of caring is an emotional reactions to knowing that all the work you have already accomplished is really inconsequential to your employer- knowing how easily you can or will be replaced made me feel like “why bother” after giving so much time and effort. I had to settle into that mentality that you describe- and accept that I was a priority as well as my patients. It was really difficult to feel so defeated by the actions of this entity who have so little regard for so many. I applaud you for your spirit and your ability to know what matters for you. Nothing should ever get in the way of that 🙂
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Sadly there is far too much of that in the corporate world. I’ve been happy to see the tides turning of late thanks to the labour shortage. Companies can’t take advantage of workers as much any more because those workers have options.
A very wise co-worker once told me “If I drop dead tomorrow, this company will replace me but my family won’t.” Those words have really stayed with me over the years.
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Oh yes Michelle! Jobs will come and go but as you said earlier, knowing how to prioritize yourself and what is right for you is so much more important.
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👍👍
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This is a great piece, Deb. I’ve had a few jobs where I’ve “quit quietly” before leaving, and for just the reasons you mentioned. I agree that it’s often necessary for our own mental health to create some distance.
As for medicine, my boyfriend has been a “full-time patient” for the last 15 years and, from the patient side, has watched the system consume itself. At the start of his health journey, he was surrounded by a caring team. Now, it’s impossible for him to even get an appointment because Medicaid-Medicare pays the doctors so little. For the last few years, we’ve had to private pay to have him seen, and my heart breaks because that’s not an option for many disabled folks. I can understand corporate greed elsewhere, but in medicine and other fields offering human care?? It’s really upsetting to see. I’m glad that you were able to walk away, but to end things on a high note before departing.
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I think a lot of patients are really in the dark when it comes to knowing the behind the scenes in healthcare Erin. It isn’t until they face big physical obstacles that the realization hits. Sadly also for some it’s more so the whole ostrich with head buried in the sand way of ignoring reality. The answers are out there, for both patients and providers but that takes effort and willingness before change will happen. You and partner epitomize the never quite attitude!
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Oh this is so well written and certainly sheds light on your experiences and reasoning for leaving. I know it was difficult for you, on so many levels, but also think you showed compassion and wisdom in doing what you did. Thanks for writing this.
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Thank you! Would have been so easy to write a book on this, which I did in my head. Better to spare readers ALL the details but they still pop up on occasion just for me. I suspect I would be holding much more had I not done my best at the end.
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Well written and I am sure many will agree with your thoughts of working in corporate America. Sadly, medicine has become, and has been for some time a big business. The needs of the patient many times have fallen short. The dedicated health care professions are leaving or going into another form of healing practice.
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Thank you for commenting! It was almost a weekly occurrence to see staff changes within the system and that was so sad to lose amazing caregivers. I may have been somewhat naive, but they way money overtook all other priorities was shocking.
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I went through something similar a few years before I retired. I just ignored all the corporate stuff as best I could, including the quotas. My boss was great and never said anything to me about it and still gave me my annual bonus, as he knew I was an excellent employee and good at my job. I always went the extra mile. Then when the chain got bought out by another company, I got a severance package and was actually happy about it! I went back to work the next week for the same company, at a store with no boss/manager, just part time, two days a week for about a year, but quit when the new manager started hassling me about quotas, which caused me to have chest pain. I quit that weekend….just not worth it. I did not go into healthcare to meet profit quotas! Now there’s a shortage again, but nothing could convince me to go back into that nightmare. No wonder they can’t get people. I gave up my license a couple of years later, which was difficult to do, after 40 years, but my working days are over! It’s so different than most of my working life but companies who don’t value their employees or their customers seem to be the norm these days.
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Yes Joni, I can see by your comment that you relate well to what I’m talking about in this post. Even when our immediate supervisor has the same outlook as the employee they begin to feel pressure to conform and so there are even more struggles over where priorities need to be. I’m sorry you had to experience all this frustration as well. I find my overall happiness in general is so much better without all the daily work of work! I hope you feel the same 🙂 Thank you for sharing your story!
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Interesting post. That link doesn’t seem to work?
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Oops! You are correct- seems there’s some extraneous stuff in there. Try this, and thank you!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/optimized/202211/quietly-quitting
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Great post, Deb! It’s a sad fact of life that most things these days a driven mostly by profit. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic.
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Thank you Sue, and I agree in many ways about what drives our society today. As my first full corporate job experience this one was eye-opening and not the place for me!
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