Editorial: Quiet Quitting as Resistance
Exactly 150 years ago, workers all around Toronto’s print shops went on strike, protesting 12-hour work days and instead demanding nine-hour days—labourers everywhere quickly followed suit.
In 1894, Labour Day was made a national holiday in Canada as the government conceded the victory to workers. This holiday, observed yearly on the first Monday of September, continues to signify the importance of worker rights, by featuring a wide variety of events ranging from parades to protests.
From the Luddite movement during industrialization, the largest labour protest in Canada in 1976 and the new reality of working from work amid the pandemic, work conditions continue to change drastically.
Yet, anti-work movements are still going strong. A new generation of workers has entered the job market with the internet at their fingertips. Technology is increasingly available, and information is shared at the speed of light.
Where workers once took to the streets to protest poor working conditions, many present-day workers manifest their discontent through a new phenomenon: quiet quitting.
Businesses now promise a number of perks to keep their employees, as opposed to providing any genuine recognition for hard work. Work benefits have been forced to change as working conditions adapted to the pandemic and evolved to best accommodate employees. Nonetheless, quiet quitting presents itself as an easy way to protest the disconnect between employers and employees. Meanwhile, workers had to figure out how to juggle both their job and the unexpected reality of a quarantined life.
Quiet quitting does not equate to quitting a job. Instead, it refers to discarding the idea of going above-and-beyond for businesses that do not value their employees. Going that extra mile for an employer that will not recognize the additional effort is futile, as that energy could be better used elsewhere. As much as a good job with a healthy work environment can provide opportunities to grow, it should not stop you from pursuing the simple things in life that make you happy whether that be spending time with loved ones or curling up, stress-free with a good book. Having a job that allows you to go camping monthly, for instance, to keep your sanity could be a motivation to work more efficiently in the long run.
Nowadays, having a job is often only a means to pay the bills and to finance the activities one enjoys. For many, if not most, their current job is not what they had envisioned or aspired towards as kids. Work does not have to be what keeps us fulfilled in life, instead it should be what allows us to take the steps to live life at its fullest.
In fact, quiet quitting allows us to set boundaries. It is a tool for the working class; a new form of protest in this virtual work environment brought on by the pandemic.
Labour Day was once a day to gather and protest for workers’ rights. It is now celebrated as a much welcome rest day. Priorities have shifted through the years, but one thing remains: workers do not want to overwork themselves for their employers. There is more to life than a 9 to 5 job, and there is no point in working until retirement to enjoy it—let the enjoyment start now.
