August 29, 2022 • 11 mins
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In this episode of the Employee Survival Guide®, Mark discusses the causes of quiet quitting and lays direct blame on employers themselves. Employers have long instituted anti-employee rules and implemented employer favored laws, but employees now have the advantage. Quiet quitters cannot stand the current corporate work establishment and want something drastically different for themselves and I suspect everyone who works. Mark explains the tide has permanently shifted and he has offered easy solutions that the old school work establishment would perceive as being radical. It's only radical because employers are losing power and they don't like it. Listen in and send Mark any comments you have; free speech is welcomed here. mcarey@capclaw.com. Thank you.
This episode was written and produced by Mark Carey and edited by Matt Zako.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:09):
Hey, it's Mark here and welcome to the next edition of
the Employee Survival Guidewhere I tell you what your
employer does not want you toknow about and a lot more. Today
we're going to talk about thereally recent topic, the causes
of quiet quitting, and a radicalsolution. Quiet quitting is a
viral phrase being used amongyounger employees and rapidly
(00:31):
spreading to all age groups.
Quiet quitting is simply doingyour job as it's defined in your
job description, and nothingmore. Quiet, quitters don't
actually quit. They just workthe minimum number of hours each
week and nothing more. Althoughthe phrase is a bit negative,
and I agree, it does notactually reflect the employees
outlook here. It has taken onimmediate hold and spread
(00:54):
throughout the press likewildfire. I think what the
employees are really trying tosay is we don't like your work
culture. Mister establishment.
Employers are really to blame,not the employees. Employers are
the ones to blame for quietquitting. Those who control the
pest control the future.
According to George Orwell, hisbook 1984, employers have always
(01:16):
controlled the narrative ofquote unquote, work at the
founding of this country andcontinue to do so today. That
narrative filled with antiemployee, pro employer favor
rules, laws and employmentagreements. And I want you to
think about forced arbitration.
I don't think any employee everwant an arbitration agreement,
(01:38):
non disclosure agreements forsex offenders and the their
victims, non compete agreementsfor about roughly 50% of all
working employees in thiscountry. That's a lot of people
and wage theft due to improperwage classifications for
employees are not managers andnot entitled to overtime and
don't have any discretion. Butyet they're labeled as exempt
(02:01):
employees to save who moneyemployers, arbitration grants
that keep company secrets frompublic view. General Electric
actually did this, and so didBehringer Ingelheim, and a host
of other companies to keep theirsecrets from public view and
keep them from the litigationdockets. And finally, my most
favorite one of all is the mostnotorious of all the narratives
(02:24):
that companies created. It's theoutwell rule. And it shields so
much employment discrimination,that no one talks about it,
because it's the kind of thegrease that makes capitalism
work in this country. Finally,the 30 Something group where
this phrase started out,presumably quite quitting.
They're sending a message to thelarger audience of people who
(02:46):
are already working andestablishment. They're saying We
don't like your work culture,not one bit, and we're going to
change it. And the employerswant to fight back and stop them
from doing it. A new tippingpoint in favor employees,
everyone seems to be looking forthe tipping point for a brand
new work culture, in this postpandemic or whatever you want to
(03:09):
call it phase. Hence, all thepress on remote work,
surveillance of employees,remote work, and now quiet
quitting. Are we there yet, ofcourse, but the power brokers
want to quell any momentum. Andthen you cue into the
consultants, the naysayers, thepundits, the Society for Human
Resource Management, and theChamber of Commerce, and so on.
(03:31):
If employers can kill theinertia, just like they are
trying to do with remoteworking, then they win our
employees to weak and todecentralize to stop them. Maybe
not. Think Hong Kong protests afew years back? They used
umbrellas, masks, flash mobsorganized anonymously over
social media platforms. I reallyliked that part one. It worked
(03:52):
pretty effectively until thefollowing thing happened.
Violence and communistdictatorships controlled and put
down the protest. But we're notChina. We're a democracy in the
United States. Things workdifferently here. Workers have
rights but employers, state andfederal general assemblies and
the courts want to minimize themand those rights in favor are
(04:15):
employers Money Talks, becausecompanies have money and need
more of it. But employees haveinformation and communication
power and influence in this socalled age of internet.
Quiet quitting is the new silentprotest in America. Quiet
quitting is different. Quietquitters are not going to reveal
themselves and will stay belowthe surface of working the
(04:38):
required hours and getting thequote unquote meets expectation
performance review rating.
Meanwhile, employers continue toin metronome fashion, require
them numbers quote unquote, akaemployees to do their tasks
remain silent. Provide undividedloyalty to their masters, the
boss the executive leadership,rinse and repeat This is the
(04:59):
same narrative format,underneath racism in this
country, it never goes awaybecause capitalism was built on
it. Likewise, employers willcontinue to keep their workers
in lockstep in order to controlemployees servitudes that make a
corporation a corporation, andmake profit. This is also known
as, quote, a particularlyvirulent and unrestrained
(05:22):
version of capitalism. Accordingto Sarah Jones, and a recent
article, I have a radicalsolution to actually be three or
four. The solution istransparency in all things
employment, Ban the stupid atwill rule, because it's stupid.
And it only works to promoteracism and biasness. Ban non
compete agreements. And Mr.
(05:45):
Biden did ask the federal tradecommission to look into the
issue. But nothing reallyhappened after that, Mr. Biden,
of course, it's a monopolistictype of behavior, why you want
to stop somebody working inMcDonald's and going to work at
Wendy's. That's where the noncompetes are occurring.
Institute termination for causein every job, what does it mean?
It means you got to screw up.
And you know, when you did screwup, you are worn in advance and
(06:06):
you had notice of it. It doesn'tmean we're gonna fire you for no
reason. If people know you havethat type of trust in their
jobs, they're going to get yourback, Mr. Employer, they're
going to work harder for you.
How about a kinder and gentlerHR department? Well, boy, how
many times do I hear that whenthe call ins from new comp
potential clients and they saythey talked to the HR department
(06:27):
that didn't help them they didan investigation investigation
revealed that nothing happened.
There was no no discriminationof any type or any
whistleblowing or whatever theycomplain about. It's just a
cultural issue. The employerswant to keep employees in
lockstep control becauseotherwise when you start to
allow them to have their ownsay, and voice that they get
unruly, so to speak, I feel likea child in grade school
(06:47):
principal's office, about ban offorced arbitration for all
employment claims, not sexdiscrimination claims are just
they we just recently did that,of course, but how about all
types of claims, keep things outin the open instead of burying
them back in the hallways of thejams folks in the arbitration
review panels in New York City,about free mental health
(07:11):
services during the pandemic,etc, and everything else, which
is people are having issues.
They're burning out, that's whatwe hear in the press about quiet
quitters? Well, let's help them.
Why are you burning out? I'mtelling you why they're burning
out. How about provide cashrewards for anonymous employee
tips on how it's gonna work, butpeople are motivated by cash.
(07:31):
Now I'm going to turn in otheremployees, if they see bad
behavior. The longer vacationshave a four weeks of vacation,
okay, allowing people to taketime off instead of working them
to the nub, like they do withsome warehouses, we know about
equal pay for women, you know,instead of the 80 cents on $1,
like women are currently gettingnow at the age of 35. And above
(07:52):
the implementation of all orsome of the above situations
where solutions will createimmediate employee trust and
promote fully engaged employees.
Wow, it didn't take me more thantwo seconds to say that but they
spend millions of dollars eachyear corporations to find out
how to reengage employees,because you know why 80% of
(08:16):
employees in America aredisengaged. mean, their go to
work, and they say I don't likemy job, but I got to do it.
Because they're stuck. It's likea, I don't know, a bronze,
golden handcuffs instead of agolden handcuffs. And then
recently, just read an articlethat companies now it's it's
(08:36):
coming from a consultantadvising corporate 500 companies
to co design work relationships,employees, wow. codesign allowed
me to give them a voice andallow them to have a say, I
don't think that's going tohappen. And then the article
also did mention to and by theway, this is in Fortune
Magazine, you can read it, thatthey discuss the issue that I
(08:58):
see all the time, that employeeswho are for whatever reasons by
qualification or office politicsget,
they play up the ladder, andthey get promoted into a
managerial position. And guesswhat? They suck at managing? I'm
sorry, I didn't really say thatbecause it's a fact. And
everybody knows what I justsaid, knows and seen that that
managers get promoted, don'tknow how to manage. And where
(09:21):
does culture come from? Yourmanager doesn't come from the
CEO because he's too high up. Hecomes from the frontline
manager. But people are nottrained to manage IRB that
people are not trained tomanage. Companies don't spend
millions of dollars managingmanagers to manage so there's no
school people who don't go toclasses or whatever to learn how
(09:44):
to manage they're just stuck inthese new roles given an a
higher pay grade, and they havetheir ego shut up and they say
well now managing Look at me, meincrease my my status and my
LinkedIn profile. Okay, get aclue folks. Man managers don't
know how to manage because wedon't tell them how to manage
I'm trying to tell you that now,the employees are trying to tell
(10:04):
the managers, you're not verygood at your jobs, corporations,
you're not hearing us, and we'rejust going to slow down. We're
not going to quit, we're justgoing to slow down, and you're
not going to earn as much moneyout of us. So why don't you turn
that tide around, provide forremote working, and whatever
flexible work status you want todo. And listen to employees
today. They're giving a loudmessage like a megaphone. And
(10:27):
let's see where this goes.
Because I think that the tidehas tipped. And we're now
looking at a new reality. Thecorporations are saying three
years after the pandemic, we'renot going back to the office in
full stride. Apple, you may wantto shove us back there, but
employees are really not wantingto go there not because of COVID
because they liked theflexibility they have in their
own personal lives today. Anddon't we all agree with them? I
(10:49):
do. So, food for thought. I'vebeen thinking about this topic.
I'm actually pretty happy aboutit. And I want to hear more
about it. So send me an email ifyou like it, or if you don't
like it, tell me why. I'm gladto hear it. And have a great
week and I will talk to yousoon.
Hey, it's Mark here and welcome to the next edition of
the Employee Survival Guidewhere I tell you what your
employer does not want you toknow about and a lot more. Today
we're going to talk about thereally recent topic, the causes
of quiet quitting, and a radicalsolution. Quiet quitting is a
viral phrase being used amongyounger employees and rapidly
(00:31):
spreading to all age groups.
Quiet quitting is simply doingyour job as it's defined in your
job description, and nothingmore. Quiet, quitters don't
actually quit. They just workthe minimum number of hours each
week and nothing more. Althoughthe phrase is a bit negative,
and I agree, it does notactually reflect the employees
outlook here. It has taken onimmediate hold and spread
(00:54):
throughout the press likewildfire. I think what the
employees are really trying tosay is we don't like your work
culture. Mister establishment.
Employers are really to blame,not the employees. Employers are
the ones to blame for quietquitting. Those who control the
pest control the future.
According to George Orwell, hisbook 1984, employers have always
(01:16):
controlled the narrative ofquote unquote, work at the
founding of this country andcontinue to do so today. That
narrative filled with antiemployee, pro employer favor
rules, laws and employmentagreements. And I want you to
think about forced arbitration.
I don't think any employee everwant an arbitration agreement,
(01:38):
non disclosure agreements forsex offenders and the their
victims, non compete agreementsfor about roughly 50% of all
working employees in thiscountry. That's a lot of people
and wage theft due to improperwage classifications for
employees are not managers andnot entitled to overtime and
don't have any discretion. Butyet they're labeled as exempt
(02:01):
employees to save who moneyemployers, arbitration grants
that keep company secrets frompublic view. General Electric
actually did this, and so didBehringer Ingelheim, and a host
of other companies to keep theirsecrets from public view and
keep them from the litigationdockets. And finally, my most
favorite one of all is the mostnotorious of all the narratives
(02:24):
that companies created. It's theoutwell rule. And it shields so
much employment discrimination,that no one talks about it,
because it's the kind of thegrease that makes capitalism
work in this country. Finally,the 30 Something group where
this phrase started out,presumably quite quitting.
They're sending a message to thelarger audience of people who
(02:46):
are already working andestablishment. They're saying We
don't like your work culture,not one bit, and we're going to
change it. And the employerswant to fight back and stop them
from doing it. A new tippingpoint in favor employees,
everyone seems to be looking forthe tipping point for a brand
new work culture, in this postpandemic or whatever you want to
(03:09):
call it phase. Hence, all thepress on remote work,
surveillance of employees,remote work, and now quiet
quitting. Are we there yet, ofcourse, but the power brokers
want to quell any momentum. Andthen you cue into the
consultants, the naysayers, thepundits, the Society for Human
Resource Management, and theChamber of Commerce, and so on.
(03:31):
If employers can kill theinertia, just like they are
trying to do with remoteworking, then they win our
employees to weak and todecentralize to stop them. Maybe
not. Think Hong Kong protests afew years back? They used
umbrellas, masks, flash mobsorganized anonymously over
social media platforms. I reallyliked that part one. It worked
(03:52):
pretty effectively until thefollowing thing happened.
Violence and communistdictatorships controlled and put
down the protest. But we're notChina. We're a democracy in the
United States. Things workdifferently here. Workers have
rights but employers, state andfederal general assemblies and
the courts want to minimize themand those rights in favor are
(04:15):
employers Money Talks, becausecompanies have money and need
more of it. But employees haveinformation and communication
power and influence in this socalled age of internet.
Quiet quitting is the new silentprotest in America. Quiet
quitting is different. Quietquitters are not going to reveal
themselves and will stay belowthe surface of working the
(04:38):
required hours and getting thequote unquote meets expectation
performance review rating.
Meanwhile, employers continue toin metronome fashion, require
them numbers quote unquote, akaemployees to do their tasks
remain silent. Provide undividedloyalty to their masters, the
boss the executive leadership,rinse and repeat This is the
(04:59):
same narrative format,underneath racism in this
country, it never goes awaybecause capitalism was built on
it. Likewise, employers willcontinue to keep their workers
in lockstep in order to controlemployees servitudes that make a
corporation a corporation, andmake profit. This is also known
as, quote, a particularlyvirulent and unrestrained
(05:22):
version of capitalism. Accordingto Sarah Jones, and a recent
article, I have a radicalsolution to actually be three or
four. The solution istransparency in all things
employment, Ban the stupid atwill rule, because it's stupid.
And it only works to promoteracism and biasness. Ban non
compete agreements. And Mr.
(05:45):
Biden did ask the federal tradecommission to look into the
issue. But nothing reallyhappened after that, Mr. Biden,
of course, it's a monopolistictype of behavior, why you want
to stop somebody working inMcDonald's and going to work at
Wendy's. That's where the noncompetes are occurring.
Institute termination for causein every job, what does it mean?
It means you got to screw up.
And you know, when you did screwup, you are worn in advance and
(06:06):
you had notice of it. It doesn'tmean we're gonna fire you for no
reason. If people know you havethat type of trust in their
jobs, they're going to get yourback, Mr. Employer, they're
going to work harder for you.
How about a kinder and gentlerHR department? Well, boy, how
many times do I hear that whenthe call ins from new comp
potential clients and they saythey talked to the HR department
(06:27):
that didn't help them they didan investigation investigation
revealed that nothing happened.
There was no no discriminationof any type or any
whistleblowing or whatever theycomplain about. It's just a
cultural issue. The employerswant to keep employees in
lockstep control becauseotherwise when you start to
allow them to have their ownsay, and voice that they get
unruly, so to speak, I feel likea child in grade school
(06:47):
principal's office, about ban offorced arbitration for all
employment claims, not sexdiscrimination claims are just
they we just recently did that,of course, but how about all
types of claims, keep things outin the open instead of burying
them back in the hallways of thejams folks in the arbitration
review panels in New York City,about free mental health
(07:11):
services during the pandemic,etc, and everything else, which
is people are having issues.
They're burning out, that's whatwe hear in the press about quiet
quitters? Well, let's help them.
Why are you burning out? I'mtelling you why they're burning
out. How about provide cashrewards for anonymous employee
tips on how it's gonna work, butpeople are motivated by cash.
(07:31):
Now I'm going to turn in otheremployees, if they see bad
behavior. The longer vacationshave a four weeks of vacation,
okay, allowing people to taketime off instead of working them
to the nub, like they do withsome warehouses, we know about
equal pay for women, you know,instead of the 80 cents on $1,
like women are currently gettingnow at the age of 35. And above
(07:52):
the implementation of all orsome of the above situations
where solutions will createimmediate employee trust and
promote fully engaged employees.
Wow, it didn't take me more thantwo seconds to say that but they
spend millions of dollars eachyear corporations to find out
how to reengage employees,because you know why 80% of
(08:16):
employees in America aredisengaged. mean, their go to
work, and they say I don't likemy job, but I got to do it.
Because they're stuck. It's likea, I don't know, a bronze,
golden handcuffs instead of agolden handcuffs. And then
recently, just read an articlethat companies now it's it's
(08:36):
coming from a consultantadvising corporate 500 companies
to co design work relationships,employees, wow. codesign allowed
me to give them a voice andallow them to have a say, I
don't think that's going tohappen. And then the article
also did mention to and by theway, this is in Fortune
Magazine, you can read it, thatthey discuss the issue that I
(08:58):
see all the time, that employeeswho are for whatever reasons by
qualification or office politicsget,
they play up the ladder, andthey get promoted into a
managerial position. And guesswhat? They suck at managing? I'm
sorry, I didn't really say thatbecause it's a fact. And
everybody knows what I justsaid, knows and seen that that
managers get promoted, don'tknow how to manage. And where
(09:21):
does culture come from? Yourmanager doesn't come from the
CEO because he's too high up. Hecomes from the frontline
manager. But people are nottrained to manage IRB that
people are not trained tomanage. Companies don't spend
millions of dollars managingmanagers to manage so there's no
school people who don't go toclasses or whatever to learn how
(09:44):
to manage they're just stuck inthese new roles given an a
higher pay grade, and they havetheir ego shut up and they say
well now managing Look at me, meincrease my my status and my
LinkedIn profile. Okay, get aclue folks. Man managers don't
know how to manage because wedon't tell them how to manage
I'm trying to tell you that now,the employees are trying to tell
(10:04):
the managers, you're not verygood at your jobs, corporations,
you're not hearing us, and we'rejust going to slow down. We're
not going to quit, we're justgoing to slow down, and you're
not going to earn as much moneyout of us. So why don't you turn
that tide around, provide forremote working, and whatever
flexible work status you want todo. And listen to employees
today. They're giving a loudmessage like a megaphone. And
(10:27):
let's see where this goes.
Because I think that the tidehas tipped. And we're now
looking at a new reality. Thecorporations are saying three
years after the pandemic, we'renot going back to the office in
full stride. Apple, you may wantto shove us back there, but
employees are really not wantingto go there not because of COVID
because they liked theflexibility they have in their
own personal lives today. Anddon't we all agree with them? I
(10:49):
do. So, food for thought. I'vebeen thinking about this topic.
I'm actually pretty happy aboutit. And I want to hear more
about it. So send me an email ifyou like it, or if you don't
like it, tell me why. I'm gladto hear it. And have a great
week and I will talk to yousoon.
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