The Pandemic did have its gifts. Life reflection was a big one. In relation to careers, many people realized that they were spending too much time doing something that made them unhappy. Several trends emerged with The Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting topping the list. Each stemmed from reasonable premises: leaving something that was causing unhappiness and not being taken advantage of by employers are sensible. But… I wondered what happens after someone literally quits (resigns) or decides to just do the bare minimum (quiet quitting).
Regarding resigning… at some point, bills have to be paid. So quitting without a plan – while tempting – is inherently problematic. Career Counseling Connecticut has worked with several dozen of those in the Great Resignation. The happiest came to us before they quit. The most anxious came a couple months after quitting.
Regarding quiet quitting… to me… this concept makes no sense except as a temporary mental health measure while one looks for different work. Going to work with resentment – which is the very premise of quiet quitting – is inherently unhealthy. It also presumably means that either your work or your employer or both are a mismatch. Time to leave.
In both cases, “healthy career building” is the solution.