IT TAKES SO LITTLE TO BE ABOVE AVERAGE

The secret to experiencing joy in your work is contained in one word—excellence.  To do something well is to enjoy it.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Colossians 3:23

Have you heard of a current trend called “Quiet Quitting?”

Actually, it isn’t a brand-new phenomenon—as the Bible tells us, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  But since the pandemic, it’s making waves in the work world, primarily among workers under age 35.  The essence is that employees don’t leave their jobs but perform only the minimum requirements.  They put in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than is necessary to fulfill the job requirements.  Some say they do this to maintain a more desirable work/life balance.  By not giving anything extra to the job, they have more time outside work for personal pursuits and relationships.  But many experts see Quiet Quitting as simply a trendy new name for worker dissatisfaction because Quiet Quitters eventually quit

What causes worker dissatisfaction?

Workers are dissatisfied when they feel unrecognized, undervalued, and unappreciated and do not enjoy what they do.  This dissatisfaction has been happening in the work world for quite some time.  It’s not an exaggeration to state that at least 50% of the workforce feels this way.  That is a sad state of affairs.  Still, the pandemic’s effects have stirred discontent even more. 

Many people were laid off during the pandemic, and many were paid a larger than usual amount of unemployment compensation.  They were earning more money staying home from work than on the job!  So when the time came to return to their jobs, many people decided it wasn’t worth it and didn’t return.  Those who did return found themselves working twice as hard to make up for being understaffed.  They resented not earning a higher wage or some other compensation they felt they deserved for all the extra work they had to do.  As a result, dissatisfaction is at an all-time high, people are succumbing to Quiet Quitting, and business leaders are scrambling to resolve this issue.

Solutions from the business owner’s side.

I’m not a manager nor a business expert, so I can’t enumerate wise official solutions from a business standpoint that will alleviate all these problems.  But I have some thoughts from a human perspective that might help.

From the management side—and this has always been true—recognition and appreciation go a long way.  One of the best ways for businesses to inspire and engage their employees is to recognize them for who they are and what they do.  It’s really that simple!  If employers want their workers to know that they care, then find ways to make employees feel seen, heard, and valued for their unique perspectives, experiences, and contributions.

Solutions from the employee’s side.

The solutions for the business owners are ones we know will work and which we hope they will implement, but as employees, we can’t make the owners do them.  However, there are several things we as employees can do to make things more satisfying in our workplace.  Not only that, but we can make ourselves stand out like superstars!

First, we should recognize that it is God’s will for us to work, so work is a good thing.  When He created Adam, He put him to work in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and rule over the fish, birds, and every living creature.  Before the fall of man, it was Adam’s joy to do the work God provided for him.

Second, we should obtain a job we like.  When you’re just starting out in the workplace, this might only sometimes be possible, but it should be the goal of your work life.  Get involved in something you enjoy.  The Book of Ecclesiastes says, “It is good and proper for a man to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot.  Moreover, God enables him to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.”  God enables us to enjoy our work—it is His gift to us!

Third, whatever job we have, we should do it with excellence.  A worker should be pleased with his work.  The Book of Colossians says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”  That’s an incentive to work with excellence—God will reward you for that, even if your employer doesn’t.

We should be willing to work hard.

I read a saying that went, “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”  In Proverbs, it says, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.”  If we want job satisfaction, we must work toward it.  Quiet Quitting won’t bring us success or satisfaction.

Whatever job I’ve held, I’ve always done it to the best of my ability. 

I always worked to improve myself and my job performance.   I did the “extras,” whether it was noticed or not because it made me feel better about my performance.  And most importantly, I kept a positive attitude and showed enthusiasm for my work.  It was contagious—most people around me shared my positive attitude and spirit, making the workplace great.

If I found myself with a tendency to complain, I did a self-examination to see if I could determine what was wrong and how to fix it.  I’d fix it if I could, and if I couldn’t and found myself in a position that I didn’t like, I did what I could to keep improving myself and move on.  I didn’t Quiet Quit—that would have brought me nothing but frustration.

I was rewarded many times for my job performance.

My job satisfaction was always high.  I did work I enjoyed, and I loved the workplace challenges.  Unfortunately, I was sometimes the object of a jealous co-worker or two who noticed my success and felt that I was just a “teacher’s pet.”  I shared with them the “secret” of my success, but they did not want to put in any extra effort to enjoy what I was enjoying.

Quiet Quitting is never the answer.

It is not unreasonable to be unhappy in your job.  That happens.  But Quiet Quitting won’t bring you the satisfaction you’re craving.  It really takes very little to be above average these days!  Take stock of where you are.  If you don’t want to stay there, perform well until you can move on.  Don’t burn any bridges.  Think of what you enjoy doing and go do that—or something as close to it as possible.  And if you’re worried about work/life balance, that’s good!  Being aware of it will help you find the right balance without Quiet Quitting. 

God created you to work and to enjoy it, so go, do your best, and you’ll shine like a superstar!