I’m sure you’ve all heard the dreaded term quiet quitting by now (and I’m sure you either just thought of somebody you think has “quiet quit” or thought about something you quiet quit). It became a movement in the workplace after COVID-19, and a June 2022 Gallup poll showed that over 50% of the U.S. workforce is made up of “quiet quitters” especially among younger millennials (27 to 34 years old) and Gen Z (26 years old and younger).
Is the quiet quitting trend hitting the civil engineering industry? If it is, is this a problem and how do we address it?
I posit that yes, based solely on mathematics, the quiet quitting trend is alive and well in our industry. However, depending on how you define the term, I don’t think it’s a problem, but it might be the solution to an industry-wide crisis.
I personally define quiet quitting as establishing healthy boundaries around work, and I dive a little deeper into the controversial subject in this Plot Points podcast. While many people may disagree with my definition (don’t worry – my husband disagrees with me!) I ask you to examine the general trends we see in the industry year in and year out. In an industry that has come to expect 55+ hours of billable work a week, “only” working 40 to 45 hours can seem like you’re doing the minimum. I want to challenge your thoughts on this issue.
Since when has fully committing to your job for 40 hours a week and upholding your obligations to your employer and clients ever been thought of as opting out? How good of a work product are you actually producing at hour 50? 60? 80? Think back to the last time you had a real vacation where you didn’t check email, didn’t answer work calls, didn’t do any work – how did you perform the week after you got back to the office?
Have you ever stopped to think that maybe more time away from work can help you perform your job better and more efficiently? If you don’t trust me, that’s fine; there are multiple studies that show that working longer is detrimental to your health and your work production (both quality and quantity) and is leading to workforce turnover and burnout.
I even think overwork and burnout are resulting in the high attrition rates we’re seeing in the civil engineering industry and consequently in the decreasing enrollments we’re seeing in civil engineering programs across the U.S. So how do we address this concern?
Only you can answer that for yourself, but I can tell you some industry-wide changes I’d like to see:
- More people setting healthy boundaries at work and working, on average, no more than 45 hours a week. This excludes real emergencies.
- Employees not being penalized for setting boundaries, taking true vacations, and saying “I’ll finish that tomorrow.”
- Better workforce management and planning. In no world can you make me believe scheduling somebody for 300 billable hours in a month with 160 billable hours in it is not the result of poor planning and workforce management.
- Increased engagement with our work. We need to feel passionate about our jobs to feel fully engaged. Sadly, many of us have lost the wonder that attracted us to the industry in the first place.
I hope this article will make you think and, perhaps, implement some changes in your life and in the way you manage and teach others. The only way we’re going to see a change in our industry is if we lead by example.
About the Author: Jennifer currently serves as a Project Manager with Cypress Environment & Infrastructure.
Articles by contributors are not necessarily the viewpoint or opinion of the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers & Surveyors