'What we need right now is an assertive and noisy discussion of the appropriate boundaries between our home and working lives.' | OPINION by senior economics writer Jessica Irvine quietquitting
It’s the 17-second video clip which has gone viral on TikTok and sparked a global debate about work-life balance in the post-pandemic era.of a young man sitting quietly on a bench in a New York subway station. Cut to sweeping shots of the green sunlit canopy of Central Park, along with other iconic streetscapes from the city that never sleeps.
“You’re not outright quitting your job, but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond. You’re still performing your duties, but you’re no longer subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality that work has to be your life. The reality is it’s not and your worth as a person is not defined by your labour.”Cue sighs of relief from burnt-out Millennial and Gen Z workers newly inspired to leave work at 5pm and pause work notifications.
A major upside for some workers, however, was the elimination of the daily commute. A study by the NSW Innovation and Productivity Council found the average daily commute for a NSW worker had blown out to 77 minutes immediately prior to the pandemic. Our phones were supposed to make us more productive . And that may be so. But I suspect they’ve also encouraged us to spend more time working, whether it’s checking work messages or reading work-related materials or posts in our “off” time.
But for most workers, I think the healthier approach would be an open and honest conversation with managers about the limited number of hours in the day and how best they can organise their working lives to produce the required outputs.