By Alyson Krueger

For those not ready to make a grand exit, a softer approach may work.

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“I recently learned about this term called ‘quiet quitting’ where you’re not outright quitting your job, but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond,”  says Zaiad Khan, a TikTok user with over 10,000 followers, in a soothing voice, juxtaposed with a video of the New York City subway. “You are still performing your duties, but you are no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentally that work has to be our life.”

Clayton Farris, a TikTok user with 48,000 followers, who posted about the trend days later, says in his own video: “I don’t stress and internally rip myself to shreds.”

The phrase went mainstream from there. “If Your Co-Workers Are ‘Quiet Quitting,’ Here’s What That Means,” read a headline in a Wall Street Journal article on Aug. 12. The Guardian went with: “Quiet Quitting: Why Doing the Bare Minimum at Work Has Gone Global.” The term was defined and redefined. For some, it was mentally checking out from work. For others, it became about not accepting additional work without additional pay.

Many people feel perplexed: Why do you need a term to describe something as ordinary as going to work and doing your job, even if it’s not well? Some people feel validated for never raising their hands at work, or judged because they actually like being overachievers.

Then there are those who are envious: They wish they could quietly quit, but believe they could never get away with it because of their race or gender. (There are also some professions that make it less easy. Who wants their doctor or child’s teacher to take the easy way out?)